Affinity
by Sol Hiryu
Summary: Sequel to Bonds. Netto and Forte are finally back in their world, but now they must deal with the consequences of their new bond...such as the severing of the link between Netto and Rockman. (DISCONTINUED)
1. A Long Awaited Reunion

_A figure just stood on the ground, looking around warily as it heard numerous people murmuring above him. Looking up, it could see a shadow of a face, one with a beard. Confused, it continued looking around. What was this dark place?_

"_...so, your research was a success, doctor." one voice remarked. The figure on the floor looked around the area again, trying to figure out which person was speaking._

"_It seems it was." another voice, presumably the doctor's this time, rang out. "However, I still wish to make a few tests just to make sure everything went alright."_

_The figure blinked for a few moments before he tried to speak up. However, another voice cut in before he could. "And...what happens if this interferes with Proto?" the voice asked gruffly._

_The other voice sighed. "I am very positive that my research won't have any adverse effects on Proto. I have made absolutely sure about that."_

"_If you say so, doctor."_

_The figure then chose that time to speak up. "Um...excuse me?" it asked, making everyone look at it. "Who are you?"_

"_Ah, so he finally speaks." one voice said. The doctor made some sort of motion with his hands at the other person, telling him to be silent._

_The figure looked up as the doctor cleared his throat. "I see you are awake. Good..." he murmured as he stared intently at the figure. The figure shifted uncomfortably._

"_Please answer. Who are you?" The figure asked again. The doctor suddenly smiled._

"_Why, I'm Doctor Cossack. I am the one who created you." he said happily._

"_Created...?" the figure asked again. The doctor nodded._

"_You are the final result of my research...my child, so to say." he chuckled, as if making a joke he only understood. "There is no need to be so confused. I shall explain everything in due time."_

"_I see..." the figure murmured. He then looked back up, seemingly confused. "What...what is my name?" he asked softly, shifting slightly because of the numerous people staring at him._

"_Ah...your name?" the doctor asked aloud. "Hm...what shall it be?" he said while tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Ah! I know!" Cossack exclaimed after a few minutes of thinking. "How about the name 'Forte'? It seems to suit you well."_

"_Forte..." the figure repeated, saying it softly to himself as if to get used to it. He suddenly smiled. "I think I like the sound of that, doctor."_

_Doctor Cossack only beamed down at him._

That was when Netto woke up, gasping.

Sitting up, he held the side of his head with his hand, grimacing at the memory of the dream. He knew it was one of Forte's memories; the presence of Dr. Cossack and the mention of Proto proved it. However, he was suddenly filled with some sort of sadness; the memory was a happy one for Forte, it was just the thought of what happened later that saddened him. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked around the room.

It was already morning, from what he could tell. The sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating the room. Blinking a bit, he felt Forte's PET in his other hand under the bed covers. Before he could look around any more, some shuffling to his left made him look to the other side.

Turning his head to the left of the bed, he saw his mother and father just standing there, smiling. He also spied Enzan on the couch, who was sleeping softly. Netto blinked in shock before he spoke up. "Mama...Papa..." he let out softly, staring at his two parents.

Haruka smiled and stepped towards the bed, enveloping her son into a tight hug. "Oh Netto!" she cried, a few tears still escaping from her eyes. Still somewhat in shock at seeing his parents, he hugged back.

"Mama..." he said softly. Haruka drew back as Yuuichirou approached the bed, still sniffling.

"Welcome back Netto," Yuuichirou said while smiling warmly down at his son. Netto blinked a few times before being hugged by his father too. "You worried us all!"

"Papa...thanks." he said while looking at his parents. Yuuichirou chuckled as he brought up something from his waist.

"And look who I brought as well!" he said as he handed the blue PET to Netto. The brunette took it into his hands as he looked at the overjoyed face of Rockman.

"Netto-kun!" he exclaimed happily as Netto smiled at him, "You're all right!"

"Yeah, I am. You miss me?" Netto asked jokingly. Rockman frowned slightly.

"Of course I missed you!" the blue navi said, "You're my operator and my brother! How could I not miss you?" he questioned, a worried tone creeping up into his voice.

"Calm down Rockman!" Netto said while holding up a hand in a placating manner, "I was only joking! Of course I knew you missed me! I mean, how could you not?" Yuuichirou and Haruka both chuckled a bit as they stared at their two sons.

"Don't make me worry like that anymore, okay?" Rockman asked as he calmed down a bit. Netto nodded.

"I won't Rockman. Don't worry!" the brunette exclaimed while nodding.

"...Enzan-sama!" Blues' said from his PET. Everyone looked over at the couch, where Enzan was still sleeping. "Enzan-sama, wake up!" Blues said in a slightly raised voice, but the boy only grumbled a little bit before falling silent.

Rockman held back his urge to laugh. "Having trouble, Blues?" he asked jokingly from his PET. The red navi could only look in the direction of the bed helplessly.

"I see that Hikari-san is up. That's a relief." Blues said as he turned back to his operator. "But I'm getting worried...Enzan-sama won't wake up. He's never slept this deeply before."

This time, Rockman couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Did you try yelling at him? That always works when Netto doesn't want to wake up." Netto was about to object that he didn't do that anymore before he fell silent. He still didn't know how he was going to tell everyone about Forte.

"Yell at him?" Blues asked incredulously. Rockman nodded from his PET.

"Yeah, yell at him. I guarantee it will get him up." he said while smirking. Blues hesitantly nodded before coughing a few times and taking a deep breath.

"Enzan-sama, get up! Now!" Blues yelled. It had its intended effect as Enzan woke up and fell off the couch in surprise.

"What...?" Enzan grumbled as he stood up and shook his head, "What was that for, Blues?"

Blues had to fight to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry Enzan-sama, but you wouldn't wake up." he said as he turned away and coughed, trying to hide a slight chuckle. Enzan only sighed and ignored the silent chuckling of the two adults. He then caught sight of Netto in bed, just smiling.

"Netto!" he said, surprised. "You're already awake? Are you all right?" When he saw the brunette nod, he slowly smiled. "That's good. Takes the worry off my part, at least." he sighed.

Netto suddenly smirked. "You were worried about me too, Enzan? I didn't think that was possible!" he chuckled. Enzan blushed.

"Well, when someone decides to suddenly go missing, then of course everyone is going to be worried!" he shot back. Netto just laughed, and soon enough, everyone was. After they all calmed down, they heard a knock at the door.

"Ah...I see Netto is awake," the doctor said as he came in. Everyone turned to look at him as he carried a clipboard in his hands. "Okay, I'm going to start a check-up on him so we can see if anything is wrong." he explained as he put the clipboard down and started getting out some instruments. "I'm afraid I must ask all of you to leave the room please...except Netto, of course."

Haruka blinked. "May I ask why, doctor?"

The doctor sighed. "It's hospital policy, I'm afraid. Although I don't exactly remember the full details of it, someone who was with a patient during a doctor's check up infected several machines with viruses, and the hospital has issued the policy in response. I'm terribly sorry, Hikari-san."

Yuuichirou sighed. "It's all right doctor. We'll wait out in the waiting room until the check-up is complete, okay?"

"One last thing," the doctor said, "I'm sorry, but we can't have net navis in here either. We really don't want to take any chances during anything, whether it is a check-up or not." Yuuichirou nodded and picked up Rockman's PET.

Rockman looked like he was about to protest, but Netto shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry Rockman, it's only a check-up. You'll be back here within a few minutes." Rockman reluctantly nodded as Yuuichirou left the room.

However, Rockman was still thinking of something. He was about to tell his father about Forte, but then stopped at the last moment. Netto was definitely hiding something; his whole attitude was a bit too calm when he saw his parents again. Shrugging, he just decided to just ask when they went in later.

A minute or two later, the three reached the waiting room, where they were greeted with the sight of Netto's friends.

"Dr. Hikari!" Meiru cried as she ran up to the three, "Rockman e-mailed us earlier...is it true? Has Netto been found?" she asked hopefully. Yuuichirou chuckled.

"Don't worry, Netto is fine!" He said. Meiru then gave a huge sigh of relief, while Dekao cheered and Yaito wiped some sweat off her forehead. Haruka smiled before she turned to her husband.

"I'm going to go down to the cafeteria to get some food," she said, "I'm sure some of us are hungry."

"Sure." Yuuichirou said while he shrugged. Enzan nodded as well before he sat down on a nearby chair.

"Let me come with you, Hikari-san!" Dekao said as he started following Haruka out of the door. Yaito huffed.

"Wait for me! I'm not letting you pick stuff for me that I don't like!" she cried out as she chased the both of them down. Yuuichirou and Meiru just laughed for a bit before sitting down, though Meiru still looked a bit worried.

"Um...Dr. Hikari? Is Netto going to be okay?" she asked meekly, with her eyes staring at the tiled floor. The scientist nodded and smiled.

"He's going to be fine Meiru," he said as he looked at the door leading to the hospital rooms, "The doctor is only doing a slight check-up. Netto will be okay, so don't worry about it too much." Yuuichirou assured the young girl as she sighed.

"Don't worry Meiru!" Roll piped up from her PET, "I'm sure everything is fine now! At least he's been found unharmed!" Meiru looked at her navi before smiling.

"Thanks Roll. That's just what I needed." she said before settling comfortably in her chair.

"Dr. Hikari..." Enzan spoke up from his chair, "Are we going to ask Netto what happened to him before the police do?" he asked as Yuuichirou held his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, I was planning on doing so. Hopefully, he'll be able to tell us all of what happened...if it does turn out to be a new net terrorist group, hopefully any information Netto gives will help." he explained as Enzan nodded as Meiru looked a bit relieved.

Enzan then looked at the floor again. _Those clothes...where have I seen them before?_

* * *

"Do you feel any pain in this area?" the doctor asked as he lifted an arm and pressed down at certain points.

Netto shook his head. "No, I don't." The doctor nodded as he stood up and wrote something on his clipboard.

"Alright then Netto, you're perfectly healthy. If you wish, you could go home tonight. However, I would recommend staying one more night here." the doctor murmured as he finished writing whatever he was filling in.

Netto looked up in surprise. "What? Why do you want me to do that?" he asked, somewhat incredulous. The doctor only smiled at him.

"While you are healthy enough to go home tonight, your face is tired. You still need more rest, and I doubt you'll be rested enough by then. I'll be by later to see how you are doing, and then you can tell me if you feel rested enough to go home, alright?" he said before gathering all of his materials.

Netto only looked at him for a few moments before nodding. "Okay." The doctor then nodded back and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Sighing, Netto leaned back on his pillows. "I thought he would never leave..." he muttered as he looked out the window.

"Indeed." came Forte's voice out of his PET that was hidden under the covers. Netto smiled as he took the PET into his hands and looked at the cloaked navi. Forte gave him a small smile in return. "So, what are you going to tell them?" the navi asked.

Netto's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't know. How do I explain where I've been for the past five and a half months?" he asked Forte as he continued looking out the window.

"Tell them the truth?" Forte replied, shrugging. Netto sighed again.

"I doubt they would believe me. After all, how do I explain that we were in a different world?" he asked as he looked down at the cloaked navi.

Forte grunted. "Good point."

The two remained silent for a few minutes before Netto decided to speak up again. "You know Forte...I had a dream involving you."

Forte looked up, surprised. "What?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, I did..." he muttered, "It was weird. I saw you standing on some sort of floor while all these people talked above you...it was somewhat creepy."

The cloaked navi blinked. "That...that was when I was first activated..." he let out, still somewhat surprised.

Netto nodded. "I know. It's odd...I know I wasn't there, but it still felt like I was." he explained while lying back down on the pillows. "I just don't know how to describe it."

Forte continued staring at the brunette. "Netto-kun...is this going to happen every time you sleep?" he asked, a hint of worry creeping up into his voice, "That you're going to see all of my memories?"

Netto closed his eyes and sighed. "Truthfully, I don't know." Forte looked downward as he said nothing.

Netto suddenly chuckled. "You know, if this happened before we got stuck together, I wouldn't have thought much of it." he laughed, making Forte look up. "But now...thinking is all I've been doing lately."

"So you're saying you haven't been thinking before this?" Forte said jokingly, earning him a pout from the brunette.

"Not exactly..." Netto let out as he sighed, "It's just that my views have changed. It's forcing me to think a lot more."

"I see..." Forte said, "Are my memories that troubling to you?"

Netto shook his head. "It's not just that...it's just the whole other world. I'm still worried about what is going to happen to it."

Forte nodded. "I know. They'll make it through, though. They were just fine on our little journey, you know," he said, shrugging. "You're far stronger than I originally gave you credit for." he said casually, changing the subject. Netto grinned.

"Oh? You doubted me for even a second, fin-head?" Netto asked playfully. Forte rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, maybe in the beginning..." he admitted, blushing a bit. Netto let out a slight laugh.

"You sure have changed since we were first stuck together, you know." he pointed out, "You're far easier to talk to now."

Forte smirked. "Maybe, but you have changed as well." Seeing Netto shrug, he continued, "Like you said before, you're now willing to think before you act...not to mention that you're far less annoying as well." he chuckled as Netto pouted again.

Suddenly sighing, Netto looked towards the window again. "But seriously...I really have changed, haven't I?" he asked the cloaked navi, "Everything that has happened...it's still hard to take in."

Forte frowned and nodded. "I know...I'm still finding it hard to cope with this sudden influx of your memories." the cloaked navi said as he sighed, "They're just random flashes, but still..."

"You and me both." Netto muttered before he heard footsteps outside the room. He suddenly paled as he heard his father's voice right outside. "Uh oh!"

The door then opened. Netto hurriedly hid the PET under his covers again, much to Forte's indignation. He saw his father and Enzan walk in, but he was surprised when he saw Meiru nearly run in and bowl them both over.

"Netto!" she cried as she came over and hugged him, "Thank god you're all right!"

"Meiru-chan..." he gasped, "You're kinda hugging me a bit too tight..." Meiru blinked a bit before blushing and letting go. Gasping for breath, Netto looked at his father. "Papa, where is Mama?"

"She went down to the cafeteria to get us all something to eat." Yuuichirou explained as he put Rockman's PET on the stand next to Netto's bed. "Your other friends went with her to help."

"I see..." Netto said before sitting up again. Nothing was said for a couple of moments before Enzan decided to speak up.

"Netto..." he began, somewhat unsure of what to ask, "I know we just found you and all...but what happened to you?"

Netto looked down at the bed covers, not saying anything. _What should I tell them?_ he thought, trying to think of any kind of story that would make it seem realistic. A few minutes passed without the brunette responding.

"Netto?" Meiru questioned softly, somewhat surprised with the unresponsiveness of her friend. Yuuichirou was also surprised.

"Netto, what's wrong?" the scientist questioned, but Netto didn't move his head at all. Enzan was about to say something else before Rockman cut in.

"Netto-kun..." Rockman said softly, "I know it's hard, but...please, tell us why you have Forte with you." Immediately, everyone's head turned to look at the blue PET, each with looks of shock on their faces. However, Netto only sighed.

"So...you saw it, didn't you Rockman?" he whispered. Rockman could only nod slowly.

"Netto, what's going on? And what's this about Forte?" Yuuichirou asked, somewhat shaken. Netto did nothing but move his hand under the covers, bringing out the black PET for everyone to see. Everyone gasped upon seeing the cloaked navi glower at all of them.

"Netto...?" Meiru gasped as she looked at her friend, "What is going on?"

"I think that is something that we would all like to know." Enzan said as he sat down in one of the chairs near the window. Yuuichirou nodded.

"Yes...Netto, please explain what has happened." He was surprised when Forte glared at the three of them.

"Don't force him, humans. He'll tell you when he is ready." he growled at them, sending the three into even further states of confusion. Netto only smiled and looked at the cloaked navi.

"Don't worry Forte...I'll tell them the truth. They do deserve it, after all." he whispered before sighing. Forte only grunted in acknowledgment before silencing. Closing his eyes, Netto spoke. "Now then...where should I start?"

"The beginning would be nice." Enzan mumbled. Upon seeing the other two nod, Netto sighed once again.

"This is going to take a bit of time to explain, so you'd better get comfortable." he said.

"Netto-kun, please don't leave anything out. If we want to know what happened, we have to hear everything." Rockman said from his place on the stand. Netto turned his head over to him and nodded.

Netto then began to tell them where he had been for nearly the past half year.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** _To Earlier Times:_ Netto and Forte tell Yuuichirou, Meiru, and Enzan where they have been all that time, only to recieve some surprising information in return. Both Enzan and Yuuichirou then have to try to do everything in their power to cover up Netto's whereabouts. Elsewhere, a confrontation between Haruka and Midorikawa Kero springs up. What will Netto and Forte do?

* * *

**Author's Note**: Finally, I was able to scrounge up enough time to write this chapter. Sorry for the long delay.

I don't really have much to say right now, but I do hope to get the next chapter written after I complete my second research paper. Gah.

Anyways, thanks to Quatre Winner and JK Fie'r for betaing this chapter.


	2. To Earlier Times

Netto sighed as he looked around the room. Enzan was sitting in a chair by the window, while his father and Meiru were by his bedside. On the stand next to his bed, Rockman looked at him in concern, obviously waiting for what he was about to say. "All right," he sighed, "it all started when I was in bed one night...I was just sleeping, and then suddenly I was floating nowhere."

Enzan blinked. "Nowhere?" he repeated. Netto nodded.

"Yeah, nowhere. Anyways, there was this voice...it seemed to know about the link between me and Rockman." Netto said softly. Rockman suddenly stiffened at the mention of the link, but he didn't say anything. Netto continued on unhindered.

"After that, I woke up in some strange room...it was darkened, and I could only see a little bit," the brunette said, "I had found a door, but it was locked. That was when I saw something on the floor...it was Forte's PET." Netto said as he gestured towards the black PET.

Yuuichirou's eyes widened. "It was just lying there?" he asked somewhat disbelievingly. Netto nodded.  
"As a matter of fact, it was." Netto said as he nodded, "It was just on the floor, deactivated. At the time, I didn't know if I wanted to turn it on or not, given Forte's history..."

"And let me guess, you turned it on without thinking, didn't you?" Enzan asked dryly, prompting both Netto and Forte to glare in his direction.

"He didn't have any choice at the time, human," Forte sneered at the official netbattler, "At the time, I was the only means of getting out of that room. Of course, I didn't even want to work with him at first, but given the circumstances, I had no choice."

"I see..." the scientist murmured, "Go on."

Netto sighed. "After we got out of that room, we were eventually able to get out of the building we were in. What I found on the outside was shocking..." he said before pausing briefly to catch his breath, "The whole city was utterly destroyed. Buildings were in ruin, the ground was cracked so severely that it was hard to walk on it, and the sky was all a weird color."

Meiru's eyes widened. "No way..." she breathed. The other two just stared in disbelief.

The brunette just nodded. "It's true. Anyways...we just wandered around the city for a few hours afterwards. I thought I was going to collapse from hunger," Netto remarked, "but that was when we found a little girl running somewhere. Naturally, I followed her into a building and down a stairway. Would you believe that people were living underground?"

Yuuichirou blinked. "Well, I suppose it is possible to live underground, but I wouldn't know if anyone actually was." he replied, "So, what happened then?"

Netto then proceeded to explain his meeting with Shinta, and his subsequent visit to the abandoned lab. "When we got there, it was already dark. Forte was doubting that there was anything in there of worth, but we had to try." Netto explained as the three humans and the navis listened intently, "I found one computer and plugged in Forte to find any sort of data on where we were."

"What did you two find?" Enzan asked, feeling slightly unnerved. Something about the whole story that Netto was telling struck him as odd.

Forte decided to continue for the boy. "We found nothing but documented data. Although most of it was corrupt, the log files in them pointed us in the direction of the Environmental System." the cloaked navi said, "Since we had nothing else to go on, we had no choice but to make the trek to it."

Everyone stared at Netto and Forte for a few seconds before Yuuichirou managed to speak. "The Environmental System...why would you need to go there?" he questioned, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

Netto sighed. "Like Forte said, we didn't have anything else to go on." he explained, "We certainly couldn't have stayed in that ruined city, or we wouldn't have gotten anywhere." Netto then shifted in his bed a bit, "I'll explain everything right now, but please don't interrupt me. This is important."

Everyone nodded as Netto continued his tale.

---

Rockman could only stare in shock at his operator. The boy had finished up his story only a few minutes ago, but everyone in the room, the navis included, were still gaping at both Netto and Forte.

_Is Netto telling the truth?_ Rockman wondered as he continued staring at the two, _All of that seems impossible...but something tells me he isn't lying about this!_

The blue navi then thought over the last part of what Netto and Forte had gone through.

"_I'll explain everything right now, but please don't interrupt me. This is important."_

Everyone nodded as Netto continued his tale. 

Both Netto and Forte then proceeded to tell them everything that had happened since they left the ruined city the following day. Their adventures on the road, what they saw, and just the state of the world they were in. The three humans sat in their seats, stunned at what Netto was telling them. What the boy was telling them seemed very far-fetched, but then again, Netto wouldn't lie about something like where he had been.

Finally, Netto started to wrap up his story. "We finally reached the Environmental System after a long time...what we found there wasn't pleasant," he said, grimacing. "There was some huge conspiracy going on that I didn't understand. Some army invaded, took over the system, erased all the data, and shut it down." Netto then shook his head. "Then when we got to the main room, there were all these skeletons on the floor. It was really creepy."

Forte then picked up where the boy had left off. "We then saw what happened in the system...everyone was killed." he stated simply, "However, we didn't get any more time to look into it...a huge bird monster named Geetz attacked us before we could do anything."

Meiru finally chose to speak up. "A giant bird monster?" she repeated somewhat shakily, "Don't you mean a giant virus?"

Netto shook his head. "Normally, I would say it was a virus, but..." he trailed off, looking somewhat unsure, "During the fight, it did something that should have been impossible..." Breathing in a little, he stared at the three, "It was able to come into the real world."

Everyone gasped, including the navis. "How is that possible?" Enzan asked in disbelief, "There should be no way for that to happen!" Meiru nodded in agreement. Yuuichirou, although he had a thoughtful look on his face, did not say anything.

"That wasn't all;" Forte suddenly said, making everyone look at the black PET, "Somehow, what Geetz did pulled me into the real world as well."

Everyone stared in shock. "That's not possible, is it Dr. Hikari?" Meiru asked, her eyes wide. Yuuichirou could barely contain his shock and looked at his son and the cloaked navi.

"Normally, I would say it wasn't...but I'm guessing there was something else at work here, correct?" Seeing Netto nod, he continued, "I'm guessing it was something in that room that allowed the real world and the cyber world to merge...perhaps that new core that you said you read about in one of the log files?" The scientist then held up a hand, stopping Netto from speaking before he could even start. "But...something else tells me that it doesn't have anything to do with the technology at all. Go on, Netto. Tell us what really happened."

Netto looked down at Forte, who only nodded. "Well..." The brunette then told everyone about the battle between Forte and Geetz and how it went, including how Forte nearly died to protect him from a blast. At that, Rockman looked at the black PET, stunned.

"Netto-kun..." the blue navi whispered in disbelief. Now he felt even worse than he did before. Netto had nearly died in some strange place, and it was Forte, of all navis, that protected him. He didn't know what to feel at the moment other than shock.

Netto then sighed. "After that...I don't know if you'll believe me, but there was this girl," he said, "She seemed to know everything about me. She offered me a way to save Forte, and I took it."

Yuuichirou held his head in his hands, still trying to process what Netto was telling the three of them. "And what exactly did you do?"

"I still don't know the full details of it..." Netto started off, "She touched my forehead, and all these images...no, memories started to pour into my head. It was so sudden that it started to hurt...it didn't help that most of them were bitter." he said softly while staring at the cloaked navi. Rockman's saw the gesture and his eyes widened as he got the full implications of what Netto was saying.

"From what you're telling us..." the blue navi said softly, "You somehow saw Forte's memories?" Everyone in the room seemed to stiffen as Rockman said that, their attention focused on Netto. The brunette merely looked at Rockman and nodded.

Forte then spoke up. "It went the other way as well. Somehow, I was able to see Netto's memories too, even though I was dying." he said, everyone gasping at the revelation.

"So..." Enzan trailed off shakily, "You two have each other's memories." he remarked. 

Netto nodded. "Not only that, but...she also said that the main purpose in doing that was to create some sort of bond...one directly to my life force."

At that, both Rockman's and Yuuichirou's eyes widened. "Is that how you saved Forte? By linking him to your own life?" Yuuichirou asked weakly.

"It was the only way at the time, Papa," Netto said, "but something was weird...I felt something slip away from me during the process, like it was being disconnected from me..."

Rockman couldn't hide his shock. "Our link!" he gasped out, "That's how it was cut!" Rockman exclaimed. He couldn't help but feel hurt at what his brother did, even though it was to save someone else's life.

"The link...?" Netto asked before his eyes widened in realization, "That was it...that's what I felt detach from me!"

Furrowing his eyebrows together in concentration, Netto tried to feel the faint presence of Rockman in his head. He paled when he couldn't sense it anywhere; it was gone. The boy would have had a bit more time to contemplate about it when Enzan spoke up.

"What about the girl?" he questioned, also surprised on why the link was severed. 

Netto closed his eyes and sighed. "That girl...she was the one that took us home," he let out, "She said she was a goddess of some kind."

Everyone blinked. "A goddess?" Enzan questioned, disbelief written all over his face, "Do you expect us to believe that?"

Netto shrugged. "It is the only explanation I can offer. She was the one that took us off that world and placed us back here." Once again, everyone just stared at him. 

"Netto," Yuuichirou started as he adjusted his glasses, "I hope you know how unbelievable that story you just told us sounds."

The brunette nodded. "I know," he said, "But I am telling you the truth."

"I believe you, Netto." Meiru said softly from her position. Netto looked over at his friend, who was smiling at him. "I know what you have told us is almost unbelievable, but..." she trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I trust you on this."

Netto smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Meiru-chan."

Yuuichirou smiled warmly at his son while Enzan coughed. "All right, I believe you too," the netbattler said, "But what are we going to explain to the public? I mean, you have been missing for only a week, so..."

"Wait," Netto cut Enzan off, much to the other boy's annoyance, "A week? That can't be right."

Meiru blinked. "Netto, you've only been missing a week in this world..." Both Netto's and Forte's eyes widened at the revelation.

"Impossible..." both of them let out at the same time.

Yuuichirou narrowed his eyes. "Netto, how much time has passed for you when you were on the other world?" he asked, dreading the answer.

The brunette looked at his father, going slightly pale. "Four and a half months, Papa." 

Everyone just looked at him in shock. 

Rockman shook his head and sighed. Now that he got a good look at his brother, his face looked older than it did before his disappearance. Just looking at the brunette's face from up close made it seem more mature. However, as much as he was in shock about the whole thing, he could see that his brother was carrying himself with a more serious attitude. The Netto he knew would be more hyper, acting happier about the situation, and...

_Wait!_ Rockman's mind screamed at him, _This IS the Netto I've known for my entire life! Just because he is acting different doesn't mean anything!_ the blue navi assured himself. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to speak up when Enzan cut it.

"Netto," he began, "I'm going to call the head of the Official Netbattlers to see what I can do about the situation." Enzan said to the brunette before heading to the door. Netto merely stared at him as he exited, pulling out his PET as he did so.

Yuuichirou then laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm going to step out for a bit so I can make some calls." he said while pulling out his own PET.

Netto blinked. "Calls to who?" he asked curiously. The scientist chuckled.

"I'm going to call the Science Labs about this. They need to know about Forte." Yuuichirou saw his son frown at him and Forte growl audibly at him. Yuuichirou held his hands up in a placating manner. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to you or Forte! However, I think the sooner they know about this, the better."

Netto looked incredulous for a few seconds before sighing and leaning back on his pillows. "Fine," he said, "But make sure they don't try to do anything to Forte, Papa." Yuuichirou nodded and left the room.

Sighing, Netto looked over at Meiru, who was still standing by his bedside. "It seems that I've caused a lot of trouble, haven't I?" he chuckled, eliciting a smile from the girl. 

"Yep," she giggled, "You have indeed, Netto. Welcome back."

Netto smiled at her. "Glad to be back, Meiru-chan."

---

Meanwhile, down in the cafeteria, Haruka and two of Netto's friends, Dekao and Yaito, were looking over the food choices the cafeteria offered.

"Ew," Yaito said, grimacing, "I hated the hospital food they served when I was hospitalized, and this stuff doesn't seem much better."

"That's because you're an incredibly picky eater." Dekao muttered lowly. Unfortunately, Yaito heard him and turned to him, huffing.

"Me? Picky?" she sputtered, "Well, excuse me for having refined taste."

"Refined taste?" the larger boy asked incredulously, "More like expensive taste!"

"I dare you to say that again!" Yaito growled in his face. Haruka merely looked at the two children and giggled.

"Now you two," she began as she put a hand on both of their shoulders, "Don't just pick stuff that you want. Make sure you pick stuff that Yuuichirou and Enzan will want as well." she gently admonished.

"Fine." both of them grumbled in unison as they continued looking at the food selection. Haruka smiled as she turned away momentarily. Her eyes widened when she saw a very familiar face outside the cafeteria. 

Outside in the reception area was Midorikawa Kero, clad in her striped green business jacket and black pants. Had it been anyone else, Haruka wouldn't have cast a second glance at them, but the trademark frog hat on Kero's head and her microphone was cause for alarm. Kero was out for a story.

The news reporter looked around the area for a few seconds before walking away, leaving Haruka's line of sight. The woman frowned; what was she after...? 

Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks. "She's going to do a story on Netto..." she breathed, paling at the thought of the over-exuberant reporter harassing her son for details on where he had been. Grimacing, she turned back to Dekao and Yaito. "I just remembered I left something in the room," she said as she brought out a chip, "I'll trust you two to get the food, so here is the zenny to pay for it. Meet me in the waiting room outside Netto's hall!" she finished. Before either of the two could say anything, Haruka forced the chip with the zenny in it into Yaito's hand and walked away briskly, much to the two's confusion.

Haruka sped up her walking as she left the cafeteria, determined to catch up with Kero. She was not going to have some news reporter harass her child! Spending a few minutes walking down some hallways, Haruka eventually saw Kero back in the reception area, asking one of the receptionists something. Frowning, she started making her way up to her. 

"...Hikari Netto?" one of the receptionists at the desk asked, "He is currently not taking any other visitors except friends and family. May I ask why you're here, Kero-san?"

Kero smiled, although it was a bit forced. "Well, I just wanted to see Netto. I am one of his friends, and when I heard that he has finally been found, I wanted to come and visit him!"

The receptionist sighed. "Be it as it may Kero-san, but you have to find either of his parents to gain entry." she explained. Kero frowned.

"I see then. Thank you anyway." she said before turning to go outside. Haruka, not placated by Kero's failure to gain entry, followed her.

Outside the hospital, Kero tapped her foot impatiently. "Well, that didn't go over so well, huh Toadman?" she remarked to her navi as she sighed.

The green navi only stared at her. "Well, yes..." he said while pausing to croak, "but I don't think you should have tried using the friend excuse, ribbit."

"But still..." she let out, "This is a huge scoop! Real exclusive! I have to be the first one to talk with Netto before anyone else does!"

"Kero..." Toadman started before he was cut off by another voice.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Kero turned around to find one very irate Hikari Haruka standing behind her.

"Ah, may I ask who you are?" Kero asked politely. Haruka only frowned at her.

"I'm Hikari Haruka," she said, "and I don't like your way of thinking, Kero."

The reporter also frowned. "Haruka-san, please understand," she explained, "but I really need this exclusive report with your son! The executives at DNN are starting to get..." she paused to search for a word to use, "well, they're looking for better and interesting stories. This is the perfect one!"

Haruka growled. "That doesn't excuse the fact that you were going to harass my son for a story that he might not want to share!"

Kero narrowed her eyes. "Harass?" she sputtered indignantly, "Nothing of the sort! All I would do is ask him a few questions and what he remembers about what happened."

"A few questions." Haruka stated blandly, glaring at the reporter, "Listen to me! I'm not going to let you do anything on my son for your newscast!" 

"What is your problem?" Kero growled, earning a shocked gasp from Toadman, "This is my job! Even if I don't like some of the stuff I have to do to get a good story, I do it anyway!" 

"That may be," Haruka started, "but it's also my job as a parent to protect my son from anything that would endanger him. I may have not been able to do that lately, but I'm going to do my best to make sure the public doesn't mob him for questions."

Kero grimaced. "But...!"

"If you're truly one of Netto's friends," Haruka snapped, cutting the reporter off, "Then you wouldn't do this."

Kero only stared at Haruka for a few moments before closing her eyes and sighing. "You're right," she muttered, "I think I just got too excited about a new story popping up and got carried away. I'm sorry."

Haruka's smile softened. "It's all right, but next time think about what you're doing before you act." Kero nodded and then looked at the ground meekly.

"Can I still see Netto?" she asked, "Since we were teammates once, I want to see if he is well."

Haruka sighed. "Do you promise not to ask him anything regarding his whereabouts?" When she saw the reporter nod, she smiled. "Good. I'll take you to his room then."

---

"...and that's all I have to report." Enzan finished as he looked at the visage of a man sitting behind a desk, holding his chin thoughtfully. After leaving Netto's room, he immediately sat down in the thankfully deserted waiting room and made an emergency call to the head of the Official Netbattlers. Enzan then explained everything what happened in detail; from his finding Netto in the park to Netto's story.

The head sighed. "Do you really expect me to believe all of that, Ijuuin-san?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. Enzan shrugged. 

"Not really," he admitted, "but I'm believing Netto anyways. I don't think he would be the type to lie about this." 

"I see." came the curt reply. Enzan drew in his breath and steadied himself for what he was about to ask.

"Given that...I would like to request the cover-up of Hikari Netto's whereabouts during the week." he said. The head merely stared at him critically for a few moments. Enzan had to keep himself from shifting restlessly under his gaze.

"Let me get this straight..." the head started as he rested his chin in his hands, "Hikari Netto goes missing for one week, then is found in the park after some huge explosion. He then tells you his very far-fetched story and he suddenly has Forte, the ultimate navi created by Dr. Cossack, am I correct?" He saw Enzan nod and then continued, "Do you know the extent of who I must notify for this? Not only the police, but the hospital, the news stations, and even the Science Labs!"

"I know sir." Enzan answered back. The head just sighed.

"Fine, I'll do it." The boy looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" he asked in surprise, "You're going to do it anyways?"

The head only grunted. "Keep in mind that this isn't for your sake, Ijuuin-san, but more of a favor to Netto," he explained, "It is shocking that a boy of his age has turned out to be this world's savior many times over. We owe a great deal to him." Pausing, the head leaned back in his chair again. "Someone of his raw talent and skill doesn't come a generation, I'll have you know."

Enzan's eyes widened. "Do you mean...you want to recruit him?" he gasped.

The head nodded. "Yes. Although certainly not right now given the circumstances, he would make a fine Official Netbattler given a few months of seasoning." He paused there, standing up this time. "With this new situation, however, we must keep a closer watch over him." 

"Sir?" Enzan asked politely, regaining his composure. The head coughed a bit.

"Ijuuin-san," he began, "I'm assigning you a long-term mission. You are to watch over both Hikari Netto and Forte for the next few weeks, and report to me every three days. Are we clear?"

Enzan sighed. "Yes sir." The head only nodded before he continued.

"I'll get on contacting the proper people to cover this whole thing up. Meanwhile, I want you to just watch over Netto, all right? This is going to be a huge thing with the public no matter what we do, so it is imperative that he is kept safe for the time being."

Enzan was about to say more when he saw Haruka and Netto's other friends return. However, there was also a certain reporter with them that made the netbattler slowly smile as a plan formed in his head. "Sir, I think I may have a solution to the public problem..."

---

"Incredible," breathed a voice, "And you're certain that is true, Dr. Hikari?" 

Yuuichirou nodded as he looked at the image of a scientist through his PET. He sighed, "While the story my son has told me seems impossible, I am willing to believe him about this."

The scientist nodded while looking thoughtful. "Such an abnormal experience...however, even if his story is hard to believe, we will trust his word on this."

"Thanks," Yuuichirou sighed while sitting down in the nearest chair. He was currently in the empty waiting room outside his son's hall, sitting down in one of the seats. "But now that all of the head scientists know about this, what are they going to do?"

The scientist on the screen frowned. "You may not want to hear this, but I think they're more interested in Forte than the safety of your son."

Yuuichirou blinked. "That wouldn't surprise me, but I'm asking what they're going to do."

"What I mean is, they're more interested in Forte's programming..." the scientist started, "In fact, I just received an e-mail from them asking you to look at his programming yourself."

Yuuichirou's eyes widened. "Why though?" he asked incredulously, "Why do they need to look at his programming so badly?"

The scientist scratched his head and sighed. "I think that is part of the problem. Out of all Net Navis, Forte is the only one we don't have extensive knowledge on." The scientist paused a bit there to cough before continuing, "Any knowledge we did have of him before the Proto incident was taken by Dr. Cossack when he left the Science Labs."

"I see..." Yuuichirou said before standing up, "Please tell them I'm not going to do it...at least, not right away."

"Dr. Hikari?" the scientist asked uncertainly, "Do you really think that they're going to take that for an answer?"

Yuuichirou grimaced. "No," he admitted, "But you must tell them I have other business to take care of first before I can do what they ask." Then, below his breath, he muttered, "If I even want to..." 

"Wait, I have to tell them?" the scientist asked indignantly. Before he could say anymore, Yuuichirou cut off the connection. Sighing, he stood up to go back to Netto's room when he saw Enzan walk into the waiting area, looking very pleased with himself.

"Oh, Enzan-kun," Yuuichirou said while he blinked, "Did you talk to your superior?"

"Yeah," Enzan panted out, "but I managed to get him to agree to cover-up this whole thing."

The scientist smiled. "Really? That's great!" he said. The netbattler only sighed.

"That's not all..." he began as he started to tell Yuuichirou what the head wanted him to do and his plan on how to get Netto safely out of the public eye.

---

Meanwhile, inside the room, Netto was sitting quietly while Meiru stood at his bedside, just watching him. Rockman, on the other hand, was starting to get anxious at his operator just doing nothing. The unnatural silence from Netto unnerved him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke up. "Netto-kun, can I ask you something?"

The brunette blinked for a second before taking Rockman's PET and looking at the blue navi. "Of course. What is it?"

Rockman thought for a second on what to ask. He knew Netto must have been uncomfortable explaining his story, so he didn't want to ask him another question that would make him even more uncomfortable. Finally, he thought of something. "Can you link me into Forte's PET so I can talk to him alone?"

Forte looked at the blue PET for a second in surprise, but he didn't say anything. Netto glanced at Forte for a second, somewhat uncertain, before nodding. "All right." he said before opening both of the infra-red ports.

Rockman smiled. "Thanks." he said before linking into the cloaked navi's PET. 

Netto chuckled a bit before turning back to Meiru, who had a small smile on her face. "So, what's happened in the week I've been gone, Meiru-chan?" he asked, hiding a grimace at the thought of not even being gone that long.

The girl gave an amused giggle. "Other than your disappearing act, Netto?" she asked playfully. Netto pouted at her, and she giggled again. "Well, our class was in an uproar. It got so bad that Mariko-sensei had to dismiss class for a few days." She then sighed, "But I think the main reason she did that was because she wanted to go out and look for you too. Everyone was incredibly worried..."

"I'm back now though, so there is no need to worry." he said while smiling at her. Meiru smiled as well.

"Don't think Mariko-sensei was the only one out looking for you!" Roll piped up from her PET, "Meiru was out late every night scouring parts of the city to help look for you!" she exclaimed.

"Roll!" Meiru squeaked while blushing furiously. Netto and Roll laughed while Meiru blushed, but she started to laugh as well.

Meanwhile, Rockman appeared in Forte's PET, looking around warily. The whole area was identical to his own, right down to the green background. Standing in the middle of the area was the cloaked navi himself, who was merely scowling at him. Frowning, he slowly walked up to Forte, not taking his eyes off of him.

"Forte." Rockman stated coolly, trying to remain neutral against his former enemy. He still remembered that desperate fight inside of Proto, and he wasn't so sure if the navi had changed, even after Netto had said he did. However, he was willing to give Forte a chance.

"Rockman," Forte grunted in reply, unconsciously clenching his fists. The cloaked navi still didn't forget his defeat by Rockman's hands, but he willed down his desire to fight. Netto wouldn't tolerate it if both of his navis got in a fight to the death, would he? "Why are you here?" he finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them.

The blue navi just kept staring at him. "Well, I just wanted to talk to you. Nothing more."

"Talk?" Forte scoffed, "About what?" Although the cloaked navi was tolerating Rockman due to Netto's memories, it didn't mean he had to like him.

"You protected Netto-kun while in that other world, didn't you?" Rockman questioned, stepping forward a bit.

Forte said nothing as he stared at Rockman. The blue navi continued, "And you saved Netto-kun from being killed..." he trailed off softly before looking away. Forte blinked.

"What are you trying to say?" the cloaked navi asked, narrowing his eyes. Rockman took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Thank you," he stated while looking reluctant, "You were able to protect him when I couldn't..."

Forte stood sill, stunned. Rockman then continued, "Not only that, you nearly gave up your life to protect his. For that...thanks."

Shaking his head a few times to clear it, he looked at the blue navi. "It's not like I had a choice, Rockman." he growled.

Rockman then chuckled. "Sure you did," he mentioned as he began walking away, "You chose to protect Netto-kun. That's all I need to know." he said before returning to his own PET. Forte just stood there, speechless. 

"I..." he breathed, looking at the ground, "I chose to protect Netto-kun..." Forte repeated to himself, remembering all the events that led up to the current moment. Closing his eyes, he sighed before he slowly smiled.

"He's right..."

--- 

Netto and Meiru looked up as they heard the door slide open, Yuuichirou and Enzan entering the room. "How did it go, you two?" Netto asked, looking between his father and Enzan.

Yuuichirou was the first to speak. "Well, it went all right considering the circumstances..." he began, "But the heads of the Science Labs want to look at Forte's programming."

Netto's response was almost instantaneous as he narrowed his eyes. "No," he growled out vehemently, startling both Meiru and Enzan, "If they try, then there will be hell to pay."

Yuuichirou's eyes widened in surprise at the ferocity Netto was showing. "Netto, calm down!" he exclaimed while holding his hands up to placate him, "I told them they wouldn't do such a thing. I know you wouldn't let them." 

The brunette settled down, but he didn't stop glowering at Yuuichirou until a knock at the door startled them.

"Come in!" Netto called out. The door then opened, revealing his mother and his friends.

"Netto!" Dekao and Yaito yelled as they crowded around the brunette's bed. Netto chuckled a bit as he saw their relieved faces.

"Netto! Man, where have you been the whole week?" Dekao asked, putting an arm around his neck and rubbing his head with his knuckles. Netto coughed as he struggled for air.

"Dekao!" Yaito chided, "Stop it! He needs to breathe! Do you want to send him to the ICU?" The larger boy frowned as he let go, and Netto took a deep breath. The short girl grinned. "Really Netto, you worried everyone! It's great to see you're back in one piece."

"Heh...thanks," he muttered. Netto then saw someone else standing near his mother. "No way...Kero-san?" he asked in surprise.

"Netto!" the reporter grinned, "It's great to see you again! I got really worried when I heard you went missing...but when I heard you were found, it really made me feel relieved!"

Netto eyed Kero apprehensively until he saw that she didn't have her microphone with her. He then let himself relax, knowing that she wasn't there for a story. "It's good to see you again, as well." he said. He then turned back to his other friends and his parents, just chatting with them idly.

Enzan eyed Kero for a few moments before clearing his throat. "Kero-san, can I have a moment of your time?"

The reporter blinked. "Why do you need me, Ijuuin-san?" she asked. Kero had only met the netbattler briefly during the whole Nebula incident, and that was to help save Colonel from the Dark Power.

"I just need to speak for you for a few minutes, if that is all right with you." he said.

Kero blinked. "Sure." she said, shrugging as she followed Enzan out of the room.

"I'll be blunt," he said once they were outside, "I want you to help in covering up Hikari Netto's whereabouts."

Kero's eyes widened. "What?" she gasped, "What is this about a cover up?" 

"By the order of the head of the Official Netbattlers, Hikari Netto's whereabouts are classified;" he continued, ignoring Kero's shocked look; "Of course, most of Densan already knows about his disappearance...which is why someone needs to broadcast that he is back without causing too much confusion."

Kero looked confused for a few moments before it dawned on her. "You want me to do a false news report?" she asked incredulously. From his PET, Toadman also croaked in indignation, although he didn't say anything.

"Exactly." Enzan said as he nodded. Kero shook her head.

"I can't," she protested, "Do you know what it would do to my career if it gets out that the story was made up? It would be ruined!"

"Don't worry, DNN has already been informed of this and will back up your story," he said smoothly, "Besides, don't you at least owe it to Netto?"

Kero blinked for a few times before sighing. "You're right...when do we start?"

Enzan smiled. "We'll do it later tonight...let's just go and rejoin the others right now." 

The reporter smiled and followed Enzan back into the room, where Netto was staring at the Netbattler. "You're covering up where I've been the whole time, Enzan?" The boy looked surprised until he saw Yuuichirou smile at him. Enzan relaxed; it seems that the scientist told Netto what was going to happen.

"Yes, however..." Enzan said, "You can't go back into the public eye immediately. There would just be general chaos if that happened." 

Netto nodded as he caught onto what Enzan meant. It wasn't every day that someone went missing for one week, then showed up again with an unbelievable tale.

"With that said," Yuuichirou continued for the boy, "You're going to have to be confined to the house for the week."

"What!" Netto exclaimed, incredulous. "I'm grounded?"

The scientist chuckled. "No, you're not grounded. You just have to stay in the house until things blow over." Netto pouted as everyone else laughed.

There was one more knock at the door as the doctor from earlier poked his head in. "I see that you have a bunch of friends to visit you today, Netto," he chuckled, "But I wish to know; are you going to stay an additional night here?"

Netto sighed. "I guess so." He saw the doctor nod and walk away before groaning. "Great, a week of confinement."

Everyone else just chuckled. "Don't worry Netto-kun, I'm sure it isn't going to be that bad!" Rockman said optimistically.

Forte grunted. "A week without doing anything...how utterly boring." he muttered.

Netto found himself agreeing with Forte. It was going to be a long week...

---

**Next Chapter:** _A Day to Myself_: After a week long confinement in his house, Netto finally gets out and explores the city with both Forte and Rockman. During his outing, Netto compares his home to the world he just left, and just relaxes that he is just at home. Haruka ruminates on how Netto has changed.

--- 

**Author's Notes:** Yes, this chapter is late. I actually got this one done a week ago, but it took a while to beta.

Anyways, now that all of my major projects are done for now, I plan on concentrating on this a bit more, along with various one-shots I write from time to time. So hopefully the delay between chapters isn't as huge as it has been so far.

Thanks go out to Quatre Winner and JK Fie'r for betaing.


	3. A Day to Myself

"_Breaking news!" came someone's voice from the television, "The whereabouts of the missing child from Akihara, Hikari Netto, has been revealed! The Official Netbattlers have taken him on an impromptu trip to Ameruope for one of their meetings, and he has only now been able to contact his parents. The proper authorities have been notified, and he shall be returning early next week." The voice paused there momentarily before picking up again._

"_This is Midorikawa Kero of DNN, signing off!"_

That was a few days ago. True to her word, Kero had reported the false story to cover up Netto's whereabouts, and much to the surprise of Netto, it seemed that most of the city had accepted it as truth. While the boy did know that some people were skeptical about it, it didn't bother him. He wouldn't have people down his throat asking where he was all the time, and that was fine with him.

Nevertheless, he was still confined to his home for a week. At first, it wasn't too bad. He was happy to just wander around the house he hadn't been in for so long and just look at stuff. Netto also took great joy in sleeping in his own bed, and actually felt refreshed when he woke up. However, by the third day, he was feeling restless and wanted to go outside and do stuff, but his parents had forbid him going outside at all. His Papa also had to return to work, saying that he couldn't be away that long and had already stretched things by taking a week off. Somehow, that made Netto feel bad.

Shaking his head and grumbling, he had made his way back up to his room. Netto knew why he couldn't go outside, but he didn't like the idea of being cooped up inside his house for more than a few days. Rockman tried to calm him down by saying that it was only going to be a few days longer, but it didn't do any good as he still felt as restless as before.

It was then Forte suggested something. "Why don't you actually find something to do other than constantly pacing the house?" he suggested, slightly weary of Netto's constant moving around. The boy stopped and looked at the cloaked navi, opening his mouth to speak when he suddenly paused.

"Hmm...I think I have an idea of what I want to do." he murmured as he walked back towards his room. Rockman stared at his operator curiously.

"What are you going to do, Netto-kun?" he asked, curious as to what the boy was thinking. Netto only grinned.

"You'll see." he answered simply as he entered his room and opened his closet. Looking at the clothes in the closet, he frowned as ran a thumb over the familiar orange vest. It seemed that he had outgrown most of his clothes, much to his displeasure. Both his black shorts and white shirt were now too small for him, and he had no other spare clothes besides another few pairs of the same thing.

Shaking his head, he reached into his pocket and felt around, not finding anything. He sighed; when he had finally come back home, he found that he was missing his bandanna. He upturned his room looking for it until he decided he lost it on the other world. Although he loved the thing, he would have to go and get a replacement for it.

Sighing again, he reached into his closet and retrieved a spare set of roller-blade clips for his shoes. Although his other shoes were a bit too tight for him now, he was certain that he could fit the ones he was holding onto his current ones. Nodding to himself, he sat down at his desk and started to work on his gray shoes with some tools he had in his desk drawer.

"You're modifying your shoes?" Rockman asked, looking at what his operator was doing with the tools.

"Obviously." Forte snorted from his own PET. Rockman glared in his direction but said nothing.

Netto looked at the two and just scratched his head. "Well, yeah, I want to be able to skate on these shoes as well, so I might as well do it now when I can't even get out of the house." he muttered as he looked on the bottom of the shoe to see where he could fit the wheels. "Hmm...this will take a while."

Forte sighed from his PET. "Great. More sitting around." he groaned. Rockman blinked from where he was. That sounded like something Netto would say.

"Well, be patient," Rockman piped up from his PET, "It's not like we have anything to do anyways."

"Don't remind me." Forte muttered loud enough so both Netto and Rockman could hear. Rockman only sighed as Netto chuckled a little; it seemed like the two navis were trying to get on the others nerves to see who would explode first. Netto chuckled again; he could tell that both Rockman and Forte were trying to get along for his sake, but the two were just as affected with restlessness as he was and were taking it out on each other.

For a few more hours, Netto continued working at his shoes, only getting up for dinner and to use the bathroom. Finally, he gave off a triumphant shout and raised the pair of shoes in the air to admire his handy-work. "Done!" he exclaimed as he looked at the bottom of the shoes. He managed to dig out just enough of the bottom so he could make the wheels retractable. Granted, they wouldn't go in all the way, but it was all right with him. "What do you two think?"

"I think it looks fine, Netto-kun." Rockman said while smiling. Forte grunted.

"About time you finished," he muttered as he looked at his operator, "Well, at least it isn't horrible."

"Forte!" Rockman exclaimed, but Netto merely smiled.

"Calm down Rockman, he meant it as a compliment." Netto said as he turned to the blue navi. Rockman frowned, but he nodded. The brunette then suddenly stretched his arms and yawned as he took a look at the clock.

"Jeez, 10:00 PM already?" Netto muttered as he began to clean up his desk, "I should go take a shower and get to bed, I'm tired..." he said as he finished putting away everything and got his bed clothes ready. His night clothes were always a bit big for him, and now they fit him perfectly, although it was a bit snug. Shrugging, he picked up his clothes and headed for the shower.

Watching Netto walk out of the room, Rockman sighed. "With Netto-kun's imagination, I can't help but wonder why he can't find more productive things to do with his time." he murmured.

Forte chuckled, having overheard Rockman. "You know he isn't like that," he remarked, "Netto-kun will not just sit around and do one thing. He likes wandering around, and being cooped up in this place isn't really helping him."

Rockman bristled at Forte calling his operator 'Netto-kun', but only frowned. "It's still best for him, you know that."

"Hmph," Forte grunted, "Even if it is best for him, it still doesn't take away the feeling of being caged like a wild animal." he muttered, remembering that horrible time in the Science Labs.

Rockman was about to retort, but stopped when he saw Forte looking away. Sighing, he shook his head. "Okay, so maybe you're right in that fact...but I know Netto knows that it's to keep him safe." he responded.

"Indeed." came Forte's reply. The two then fell silent, both of them lost in their thoughts until Netto came back into the room, humming to himself. Looking at both navis, he frowned to see them thinking over something.

"What's wrong?" he asked the two of them, which made them snap out of their thoughts.

"Ah...nothing, Netto-kun. I'm just thinking about something, that's all." Rockman responded while smiling. Netto smiled back at him before turning to Forte.

The cloaked navi sighed. "Nothing's wrong. Just feeling tired." he murmured. Netto nodded in understanding.

"All right then, I'm going to bed then..." Netto said as he took both PETs and put them in their chargers before slipping into his own bed, "Night Rockman, night Forte."

"Good night Netto-kun." Rockman said as the lights went off. He glanced at Forte for a moment before sighing and turning off his PET.

"Night." came Forte's only response as he turned his PET off also. Netto shook his head; he knew it was going to be difficult trying to get Rockman and Forte to get along, so he counted himself as lucky that it was only as bad as them exchanging words. Looking at the two PETs one last time, he let off a sigh before closing his eyes, falling asleep.

---

The next few days were near torture to Netto. Despite him trying to find something to do, like drawing and coloring stuff for a few hours on one day, he couldn't take being cooped up in the house anymore. Forte was near his limit as well, and despite him saying that he was fine, Rockman was starting to get just as weary as Netto. Finally, the end of the week was there, and Netto was anxious to get outside.

"Man, that was far too long of a week!" he moaned as he looked outside his window. The sun was out and he was eager to get outside.

"Tell me about it." Forte said from his PET. He was sick of just looking around the same room for days on end, and he wanted to be at any place other than the blue room.

Rockman nodded. "It will be refreshing to get outside, won't it?" he asked, smiling at the enthusiasm his operator was showing. The blue navi himself had been wanting to get out as well, just not as much as the other two.

Netto nodded as he made his way out of the room and downstairs. "Yeah...I want to go see the city again, it's been too long since I went there." he remarked as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh, you're going to the city?" Haruka asked from the kitchen, slightly surprising Netto. "Well, it hasn't been a total week yet..." she said, but held up a hand to keep Netto from speaking when she caught sight of his indignant face, "But I'm sure your father won't mind if you went out one day earlier than planned."

"Really?" Netto asked, brightening up. "Thanks Mama!" Haruka laughed and smiled at her son.

"On one condition though," she said as she took something on the counter and handed it to Netto. "You're going to go get yourself a new pair of clothes. I know the ones you're wearing are alright, but it's just a precautionary measure, you get me? If you can't find anything, just tell me and I'll find something for you later, all right?" When she saw the boy nod, she smiled again. "Good. Now go enjoy yourself."

Netto chuckled as he nodded. "I will, Mama." he said as he ran right back up to his room real quick to get his things. He left his cloak in the closet since it would be odd wearing it in a crowd of people, but somehow, it felt somewhat weird not to wear it after so long. It seemed that he had grown attached to it over time.

"All right, I have everything..." he muttered as he took the chip Haruka gave him and slotted it in into Rockman's PET. "That's the zenny Mama gave us Rockman, so keep a hold of it for me, okay?"

Rockman nodded. "Of course, Netto-kun." he said before storing the data into its proper location in the PET.

Netto then looked at Forte. "You ready to see the city, Forte?" he asked, waiting for the cloaked navi's response.

"Just as long as we get out of here, I don't care where we go." Forte growled, making the brunette chuckle.

"My sentiments exactly." Netto said before getting his shoes and some pieces of paper and walking back to the front door, ready to face the world again. "Bye Mama! I'll be back soon!" he called out before exiting the house.

Netto breathed in the fresh air, sighing happily. "I really am home." he said before making his way down to the metroline.

---

The ride to Densan City was really short as Netto found himself outside of the metroline half an hour later, just staring at the crowds of people making their way down the busy streets. He smiled as he started walking around, the familiarity of the city streets coming back to him.

"It's been too long..." he breathed as he stopped at a corner and looked around the area again, enjoying the noise of cars and people chattering. "I've almost forgotten what it's like in a city like this."

Rockman blinked. "Really Netto?" The brunette nodded.

"Yeah...even though I've been here before, it feels new somehow." he explained as he crossed a street, still looking around at the buildings.

Rockman looked somewhat confused before Forte decided to speak up. "What Netto-kun is saying is that where we were, a huge city like this was utterly destroyed...everything was silent," he murmured. "Tell me Rockman, what would you think if you were in the middle of a city like that one, one that was totally destroyed and no one was around?"

Rockman looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well...I guess it would be kinda creepy." he said, shrugging.

"Creepy?" Forte scoffed, "That would not be the word I would use." he said before silencing. Rockman was about to retort when Netto spoke up again.

"There's so many people..." he muttered as he made his way through the crowds, "I wonder why none of them have recognized me yet."

"Maybe it's because you look different." Forte remarked. Netto blinked.

"I doubt it's just because of that," Netto said while looking at his clothes. "And I don't look that much different, do I?"

"No, you don't," Rockman said, "I just think they don't really care about it that much."

Netto frowned. "That's nice to hear." he grumbled.

"I didn't mean it that way, Netto-kun!" Rockman exclaimed, "I meant that they just have their own things to worry about, so I think they just took the newscast at face value, you know?"

The brunette nodded and sighed. " I guess..." he muttered. He and the two navis fell silent as Netto continued walking for a few minutes, making his way down the shopping district.

"Ah, here we go," Netto let out suddenly as he looked inside the shop he was looking for. It was a clothing and embroidery store that he went to every so often. He remembered this place as the one that did the symbol on his headband, and he was certain that he could find a replacement for it here. Entering the shop, he looked around the store a bit, looking at the various articles of clothing until he found the part of the shop he was looking for.

Looking at the bandannas, he frowned when he couldn't find any blue ones. "This sucks," he muttered as he looked through the bandannas again, not finding a single one he liked. "No blue ones. Now what am I going to do...?"

Sighing, he made his way back to the front of the store, intending to exit it and look elsewhere when something caught his eye. Blinking, he moved closer to look what it was. It was a blue vest with pockets on the front on both sides of the zipper. Taking it into his hands, he looked it over; the vest was different from his old one, but he liked it. The size was just right, and he smiled.

"I have an idea..." he breathed before he walked to the counter.

Rockman spoke up from his PET. "Netto-kun, what are you doing?" he asked, somewhat surprised at the way Netto was smiling. Forte was confused as well, but he said nothing.

"You'll see." he said before arriving at the counter. One of the clerks there adjusted her glasses and started to speak.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" she said cheerfully. Netto smiled before he put the vest up to the counter.

"Ah, I was hoping that I could buy this vest and put a symbol on it, if I could..." he replied as he took one of the pieces of paper he took earlier and presented it to the clerk. "This one, with it placed right here." he said while pointing to the upper left part of the vest.

The clerk nodded. "All right, I see what you want. Do you want anything else?" Netto looked thoughtful for a minute before nodding and pulling off his black shirt. Luckily, he had a long white undershirt underneath it, so he wasn't going topless.

"Can you put this symbol onto the front of this shirt?" he asked again as he pointed to a specific area.

The clerk nodded again and smiled. "All right, it will be finished within a few hours, so come back then." she said while typing something into the register before turning the screen towards him. "Here is the total. Is that fine with you?"

Netto nodded and smiled. "It's fine." he said before taking Rockman's PET and putting it on the scanner to transfer the zenny. Netto then thanked the clerk again and exited the shop, sighing. "I think it's time for me to go get something to eat, don't you?"

Rockman chuckled. "Now I see what you were doing...not going to use the bandanna any more, Netto-kun?" he teased.

Netto chuckled as well. "Well, not exactly...I'll miss it, but I think what I chose out is good." he replied as he made his way down to the restaurants. Forte blinked.

"So, you're changing clothes again? What, you don't want to look like me anymore?" he asked in a joking manner. Rockman, for his part, looked surprised that Forte actually made a joke while Netto had to keep himself from laughing out loud.

Calming himself down, Netto responded, "It's not that, but I just can't wear the cloak in public anymore, you know? It would gather too much attention." he reasoned while fighting back his laughter. Forte smirked, while Rockman shook his head and smiled.

A few minutes later found Netto sitting inside a restaurant, waiting for his order. He laid the two PETs on the table side by side so he could talk to the navis while actually being able to look at them. "Heh...I really missed this," Netto suddenly remarked, "I missed all of it...the noise, the people, and just the sights of this place..." he said while leaning back.

"Yeah, it's good to be home, isn't it?" Rockman said, earning a nod from Netto.

"Indeed." he said. The waiter then came and gave him his order, a plate of curry and rice. Taking the spoon, he dug right in with great vigor, making Rockman chuckle in amusement.

"You're just enjoying that, aren't you?" came Forte's voice, looking amused. Netto looked at the cloaked navi, swallowing the mouthful of curry he had and smiling.

"Well, all I had to survive on the other world was soup and some other stuff. So I'm entitled to eat like this when I haven't had it in a while, aren't I?" he asked. Forte only chuckled as Netto continued to eat voraciously until he finished the plate, patting his stomach. "That was good."

Staring outside one of the windows in the building, Netto sighed. "Only one week since I've been gone on this world...that's unbelievable." he whispered. Rockman nodded.

"Well, I suppose that finding out that you've only been gone for a week when you really have been gone for four and a half months is shocking..." Rockman trailed off.

"That's not the worst part," Netto interrupted, "I've aged nearly half a year in only a week...I wandered for several months to get home, and when I do come back, I find out that I'm suddenly a bit older than I should be!" he exclaimed, clenching his fist. "It's kinda hard to deal with, you know?"

Forte stared at the brunette. "Netto-kun..."

"Not only that, but...the stuff I saw..." he said before silencing. Forte stiffened a bit at the mention of that before nodding, while Rockman looked confused.

"Netto-kun? What did you see?" he asked. Netto shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it." he said while grimacing. Rockman, seeing his operator troubled, wondered whether to continue pressing the issue or just let it drop. Sighing, he chose the former.

"Please Netto-kun, I wish to know what happened. I don't want you having to shoulder the pain of what you saw alone..." he began, but was cut off by a growl from Forte.

"Rockman, shut up!" he snarled, "He obviously doesn't want to talk about it, so don't press the issue!"

Rockman frowned. "Is it wrong that I want to help my operator, Forte?" he retorted, slightly emphasizing the 'my' part. "I want to help him, and I can't do that if I don't know what has happened!"

"Do you not have any respect for his wishes?" Forte countered, "If he doesn't want to talk about it, he's not going to!" he hissed.

Rockman was about to retort when Netto slammed his hands on the table, getting both of their attention. "Enough!" he exclaimed, "Rockman, I said I didn't want to talk about it, so you shouldn't have pressed it. Forte, you didn't have to jump on him like that." he chided, looking thoroughly annoyed.

Both of them turned away, looking sheepish. "Sorry." they both mumbled. Netto sighed and smiled again.

"That's all right..." he said, "Rockman, don't worry. I'll tell you when I'm ready, okay?"

"...all right, Netto-kun." he said as he nodded. Netto then looked at Forte, who gave a small nod to say that he understood. The waiter then came with the bill, which Netto promptly paid before he got up to exit.

"Well, I still have an hour to kill before I go back to the shop..." Netto said as he walked away from the restaurant, looking at both PETs in his hands. "Where should we go now?"

"How about just looking around the shops for a while, Netto-kun?" Rockman suggested. Netto grinned and nodded.

"That sounds good." he said before skating off to some other stores nearby. For the next hour, Netto wandered in and out of shops, checking for new battlechips, programs, and just reading new manga. Finally, the time came for Netto to go and pick his clothes up at the shop as he started to make his way down there.

"They should be ready by now, I think." Netto said as he entered the same shop he was in earlier. The very same clerk was at the counter as she looked up and smiled at the approaching boy.

"Ah, I was waiting for you to come in!" she exclaimed as she walked around the counter, "We just finished with your clothing a half hour ago, so please follow me and I'll show them to you." Netto nodded and followed the clerk into a dressing room, where she gave him the two articled of clothing and let him stand in front of the mirror.

"Whoa..." Netto breathed as he looked in the mirror. He didn't expect himself to look so...good.

"Netto-kun, let me see!" Rockman exclaimed from his PET. Netto chuckled as he brought both navi's PETS upwards to see in the mirror. Both Rockman and Forte blinked at what they saw. Netto was wearing the blue vest he picked out before over the black shirt, unzipped. On the vest was Rockman's symbol, right over Netto's heart. On the black shirt he was wearing before, however, there was gold circle in the middle of the chest region with a diagonal white cut over it.

Forte moved one hand up to his own symbol unconsciously. "Netto-kun..." he breathed, "Why did you...?"

Netto grinned down at Forte. "Why did I decide to put your emblem on my shirt? Well, if I'm your operator, then I should have some sort of symbol on me that tells everyone else that we're partners, right?"

All Forte could do was nod. He was still surprised that Netto would do such a thing just to tell everyone else that the two were partners. _Even after seeing all of my memories and everything that has happened, he accepts me...what is this feeling...?_ Forte thought, lowering his gaze to the ground.

Rockman shook himself out of his stupor. "You look great Netto-kun!" he exclaimed happily. However, he was slightly unnerved by Forte's symbol on the brunette's shirt. _Stop it!_ he thought to himself, _I know it's hard not to be jealous, but I have to remember that this is all for Netto's sake. I can't keep thinking like this..._

The clerk smiled again as she adjusted her glasses. "Well, that looks very good on you, young man. I hope you'll shop here again! Have a good day!" she said as she exited the room, waving as she did so. Netto grinned and waved back. Looking at both PETs, he smiled. "Let's go home, shall we?"

Forte blinked. "We haven't been out for very long and you want to go home already?" he asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Well, if I recall correctly, the metroline gets packed around this time of day," Netto explained as he exited the shop and started to skate towards the metroline entrance. "I want to get back to Akihara before everyone gets off work."

Rockman nodded. "Well, this was a pleasant outing at least, wouldn't you say?" he asked his operator. Netto chuckled.

"Yep, it was good to get out of the house and into the city..." Netto said as he crossed a street, "What about you, Forte?"

"...it was all right, I guess." Forte said as he shrugged. Netto smiled; that meant Forte also had a good time. A few minutes later, he entered the station, got a ticket back to Akihara, and plopped down into a seat on the train. "Time to go home..." he muttered as the train took off, leaning back in his seat.

---

Half an hour later, Netto found himself walking back to his house, watching as the sun started to set. He sighed; the sunset had never looked so pleasing to look at. _Must have been all that time with a discolored sky in the other world._ Netto thought. Stopping by the park to look at the sunset a little bit, he sighed again. _I really did miss this._

He was about to continue on his way when a soccer ball landed right next to him. Curiously, he picked it up and looked at it when someone ran up to him.

"Sorry about that..." the boy started before taking a good look at the brunette, his eyes widening. "Netto, you're back! How was your trip?"

Netto had to blink a few times before he recognized the person. It was one of the people in his class that he knew the name of, but wasn't really acquainted with. "Oh, Honda! My trip was...all right, I guess." he said while putting on a nervous smile. He had to stick with the story Enzan and Kero thought up, after all.

"That's good," Honda said. "Hey, do you want to play soccer with us? We're missing one person." he explained. Netto blinked again.

"You want me to play with you guys?" he asked. He saw Honda nod, and then chuckled. "Why not? I haven't played in a while, so this should be good." With that, he gave the soccer ball back to Honda and followed him deeper into park.

Minutes later found Netto kicking the ball around some defenders as he raced down towards the goal, swerving to keep anyone from stealing the ball. Taking careful aim, he kicked the ball as he neared the goal, making the goalie dive and miss the ball.

"Goal!" Netto shouted as he pumped a fist in the air and laughed. Everyone on his team cheered as the ball was soon brought back into play. Rockman smiled at watching Netto finally do something that was familiar with him, while Forte looked on curiously.

Not far away, Haruka stood at a street corner, just watching her son. _Yuuichirou, it seems that you were telling the truth. Our son really does seem older._ she thought as she smiled. Her husband had told her about where Netto really was a few nights ago, and she was having trouble believing it. Only today was when she accepted it. _All those old habits of his are still there, but I can see that he has matured. He also speaks a bit more eloquently for some odd reason...but I suppose he has his reasons for doing so._ Sighing, she turned around as she started to make her way back to her house.

_While he isn't completely different, Netto is really the same as he used to be. I wonder what changed him?_ Haruka thought as she opened the door to her house. _Well...he'll tell us with due time, I think. I'll just give him the space to do so._ she thought happily.

"I wonder how Saito is taking this, with Netto having another navi and all..." Haruka sighed suddenly as she started to take out the dishes for that night's dinner. "Netto won't neglect his own brother, I know that, but Saito may still take it in a bad way..."

She would have to hope for the best. Not only for Netto and Saito, but for Forte as well.

---

**Next Chapter: **_Searching for an Answer_: Yuuichirou buries himself in his work, hoping to find out how the link was severed while Saito.bat is still operational. Finding nothing, he starts getting frustrated when he runs into an associate of his. Meanwhile, something sinister is building up in the Ura Net, but what is it?

---

**Author's Notes:** Well, the semester is done at my college and I have gotten back to writing. Hooray. I'm sorry this took so long, but in between cramming for finals and other things, I had no time to concentrate on this. Now Christmas is approaching and I'm finding myself having a lot of time to myself.

Anyways, I know that the recent chapters have felt like filler, and I apologize for that. However, it is necessary; character development comes first, in my eyes.

And as a reviewer pointed out, I need to state something. This takes place in the Game canon continuity, not the Anime or Manga (although I do take some plot elements from there). EXE5 Team of Colonel is considered canon in this story as well, so don't be confused if I refer to that instead of Team of Blues.

Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up by New Year's. Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!


	4. Searching for an Answer

Yuuichirou frowned as he kept typing at his computer. It had been more than a week since Netto was brought back home, and things had returned to normal...or as normal as it could be, considering everything that Netto had gone through. His son was currently confined to the household for several days to make the story Kero had broadcast seem believable, and he knew that he was probably feeling restless at the current moment. Yuuichirou couldn't blame him; he was like that when he was young as well.

However, it was Netto's current situation that the scientist was perplexed about. Netto came back to them with Forte, the navi developed by Dr. Cossack, in his possession. While the boy's story was very odd, which was an understatement at best, he had no reason to not believe his son. Forte seemed civil with them, which was very shocking given his hatred of humans.

At the current moment, Yuuichirou was trying to figure out how the link between Netto and Rockman was severed. The scientist didn't understand it at all; Netto said that the 'goddess' had cut the link, but Yuuichirou was certain that he made the link unbreakable as a sort of safeguard. However, he seemed to be wrong as Saito.bat was still operational, but the link wasn't. Baffled, Yuuichirou dived into his past records and information on how this could have happened.

His search started off well enough. Within an hour, he had amassed all the previous information on the project and started to read through them. By that time, it was still dark outside, being early morning and all. However, several hours later, the sunlight shone through his office windows as the scientist pushed back the documents on his desk and sighed. Hours of reading through past records and observations turned up nothing.

Stifling a yawn, Yuuichirou turned back to his computer and rubbed his eyes. He very rarely pulled all-nighters since his college days, but he was determined on finding out how the link was severed. Truthfully, he was rather frightened that one of the safeguards that he had developed had failed, and now he was hard at work on trying to find anything that would help fix it.

Yuuichirou groaned and rubbed his eyes again, blinking rapidly. Hours of research had turned up nothing and he was feeling the effects of staying up all night in his dark office. Now it was late morning, and the scientist was already feeling exhausted. He then sighed.

"I need some coffee." Yuuichirou muttered as he slowly rose from his chair and stretched. He had been sitting in the same chair for the past couple of hours, and his limbs were feeling sore from inactivity. Yawning, Yuuichirou took some documents off his desk and made his way out of the room and down to the cafeteria.

Minutes later, one of the cashiers handed the scientist his coffee as he nodded and made his way to a table. The cafeteria was mildly busy; it was full to the brim with numerous people, but there were enough of them to make it noisy. Finding a small table near a window, he sat down and immediately took a sip of the steaming liquid and sighed. It always woke him up.

Glancing back at the documents he brought with him, he started to read over them. _This still doesn't make any sense..._ he thought tiredly, _Somehow, the main safeguard I had implemented into Saito.bat seems to have failed! If that one has failed, what else has happened?_

Sighing again, he took another sip of coffee. _Not only that, I fear what adverse affects this may have on Netto and Rockman. Although there have been no negative effects so far, I want to prevent any problems that may arise due to this._

The scientist continued looking through his documents while sipping his coffee when a voice interrupted him.

"I don't see you around here very often, Dr. Hikari." came an amused voice. Yuuichirou looked up to see another person standing beside his table. He was wearing a purple and white coat and had a strange monocle on his right eye. Yuuichirou blinked.

"Dr. Regal..." he said, surprised.

The other scientist nodded. "Mind if I sit here?" he asked as he balanced a newspaper and a cup of steaming hot tea in his hands. Yuuichirou nodded quickly before Regal sat down in the chair opposite of him.

"So..." the black haired scientist started off as he sipped his tea, "I heard your son has been found. That's good to hear." he commented as he looked over his newspaper.

Yuuichirou slowly nodded as he took a sip from his coffee. Despite everything that had happened, it was still awkward to talk to Dr. Regal. "Yes, it has been a relief. He had all of us worried, and it's just a relief to see that he's safe." he said to the other scientist.

Regal chuckled. "I suppose it is..." he said as he looked at Yuuichirou. "It isn't your son's fault either. The Officials, from what I've heard, are very eccentric in what they do. I wouldn't put it past them to do what they did." he remarked as he took another sip.

Yuuichirou looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, I guess you're right, but still..." he muttered as he looked at his documents again. Regal took one look at Yuuichirou's face and shook his head.

"Other things on your mind, huh?" he asked. "Well, I won't pry any further into it, since it's your own business..." The two then sat there for a while, not saying anything as they looked at their stuff. Finally, Regal spoke up again.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Regal questioned as he stirred some more sugar into his tea.

Yuuichirou looked up at the sudden question and sighed. "Other than programming various stuff, I've been looking at past records of a project I did a long time ago." he said while pushing his documents to the side of the table. Regal looked slightly confused.

"May I inquire about this project you did?" he asked while sipping again from his cup. Yuuichirou shook his head.

"It's classified. And even if it wasn't, I don't like talking about it anyways. I was somewhat...foolish back then." he said lowly.

Regal nodded. "We're all foolhardy when we're young, so it's understandable if you don't wish to talk about it." he commented. The brown haired scientist shrugged.

"I suppose so. What have you been doing, while we're on the subject?" he asked politely. Regal chuckled again.

"Nothing too major. I've been looking over several projects and have been doing some programming in my spare time. I've also been working on other little things..." he remarked, "I've drawn up some new plans for some new PET add-ons, but I have to extensively research to make them a reality."

Yuuichirou chuckled. "Is that what you've been working on? I must say, that's very interesting." he said. "I would like to work on stuff myself sometime, but I'm always bogged down by my work."

"Perhaps you will eventually..." Regal murmured after another sip of his tea. "By the way...have you heard about what's been happening in the Uranet?"

Yuuichirou's head shot up and his eyes narrowed. "What?" he asked sharply. Usually when something like this was mentioned, something was terribly wrong.

"Calm down," Regal said before continuing, "Nothing has happened. The Ura Net has just been far too quiet recently. While normally this is a good thing, the Officials are getting suspicious. Rumor has it that a report has come in that something is amiss there." he said as he finished the remainder of his tea.

Yuuichirou held his chin in his fingers in thought. "Something amiss? Nothing like that has happened before except for criminals just gathering together...Maybe it's just that?" he offered.

Regal shrugged. "Perhaps, perhaps not. We'll just have to wait and see." he said as he checked his watch. "Hm, it looks like I have to go now. I have several things to work on today, and I wish to get them done early." Regal then stood up and took the newspaper into his hand. "Give my regards to your son, Dr. Hikari. I'll hopefully see you later." he said before waving and walking out of the cafeteria.

Yuuichirou blinked and gave a half-hearted wave back. "Bye..." he muttered lowly. That had been an odd talk, to say the least. Sighing, he began gathering all of his stuff too. Dr. Regal was totally different now that he thought of it; he was polite and thoughtful, and was pretty calm given the circumstances of how he came to be one of the Science Lab's scientists.

Shaking his head, Yuuichirou stood up and walked out as well, looking at his documents as he went. _I'm not going to give up on this. It's vital to both Rockman and Netto that I don't..._ he thought as he got into an elevator. _I'll find a way to repair the link between them..._

_---_

Elsewhere, deep in the depths of the Ura Net, something crackled through the air. Two navis looked around in confusion.

"What was that?" one of them asked, looking around wildly.

The second navi shrugged. "How should I know? Let's get out of here, we still have to meet with our partner."

The first navi nodded. "Right. Let's go then." he said as the two walked out of the area.

Behind them, the area crackled again, and a crack appeared in midair. It glowed softly as an odd light began shining through it.

Somewhere, a soft laugh reverberated throughout the area.

---

**Next Chapter:** _Familiar Memory_: After school one day, Netto sends both Forte and Rockman into the Internet to enjoy themselves. While Rockman runs errands, Forte tries to familiarize himself with the area. However, when a net-crime breaks out, what will he do?

---

**Author's Note:** So, how was everyone's Christmas?

Yes, I did get this chapter out earlier than I intended. This is because I'm going on vacation again tomorrow, and I won't have regular access to the computer. I do plan on getting another chapter or two done before I start school again, but I'm going to relax for a while and play my new games.

Anyways, a few more things to clarify. This fic takes place after EXE5: Team of Colonel. Hence, the spoiler warning. Also, chapters will now be posted first and eventually replaced with the beta version sometime in the future.

That's all for now. Happy New Year, everybody! Be safe...


	5. Familiar Memory

"I'm home!" Netto shouted as he entered his house, kicking off his shoes as he did so. Haruka looked up from the kitchen to see her son walking in, somewhat panting. It was a few weeks after Netto's return, and enough time had passed that Haruka had deemed Netto fit to return to school, much to the brunette's ire.

However, Netto really didn't complain much about it. In fact, he was rather excited that he would see some of his classmates again. The first day back, however, wasn't what he was expecting...

If Meiru's hugs were crushing, then Mariko-sensei's were on a whole different level. Netto paled at the feeling of how he could hardly breathe afterwards.

As for school itself, it was fine to Netto. Each lesson was as he remembered them; long and boring. However, the more irritating parts of the day actually involved lunch. He couldn't believe how many of his classmates wanted to hear about where he had been. Thankfully, his friends managed to get him to a safe place each day it happened.

Netto was rightfully annoyed by how everyone wanted to hear his side of the story, but thankfully it was starting to calm down. The only other thing that irked him was his workload. It seemed the whole class was bogged down by a huge workload despite having a week off to look for him. He felt slightly guilty over it, but soon forgot about that as he remembered the short paper he had to write that afternoon.

The brunette had just come from Yaito's mansion, where he met with his three friends. Netto had decided that he needed to tell both Yaito and Dekao the truth of where he had really been for the past week. Their reactions were not what he expected, however.

"_...and that's basically what happened." Netto finished as he leaned back on the couch he was on. He, Meiru, and Dekao were at Yaito's mansion for a small get together. The brunette had decided earlier that he really needed to tell his two other friends the truth, since he owed them that much. Meiru was there to support him in case he couldn't continue on._

_Dekao and Yaito sat there, stunned. Finally, the larger boy took a deep breath and stared at Netto. "Is that all true?" he asked, still looking rather shocked._

_Netto nodded. "Every word of it. And if you don't believe me, ask Forte himself." he said, holding up the black PET to them. The two shuddered when they saw the navi glare at them, but said nothing._

_Suddenly, Yaito looked at the brunette, looking oddly cheerful. "What you just told us...it sounds like something out of one of those romance movies!" she said, clasping her hands together. Everyone only stared at her in confusion. "I mean, gods, goddesses! That sounds like something out of that kind of genre!"_

_Dekao only stared at her and snorted. "I fail to see what is so romantic about a goddess kidnapping someone for some kind of experiment. I think you got your genre mixed up with 'horror', don't you think?" he teased, smirking as Yaito frowned and huffed at him._

"_What would you know, anyways?" she huffed before turning back to Netto. "It might sound unbelievable, but knowing you and all that you've gone through, it isn't so far-fetched."_

_Netto blinked in surprise while Dekao grinned. "She's right, you know. We believe you on this because we trust you." he said._

_Netto opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't say anything. Meiru giggled. "We're your friends, Netto;" she said while looking at him, "You should have a bit more faith in us."_

_Netto chuckled and smiled. "You're right...thanks, everybody." he said. Dekao then laughed._

_"At least you got us out of school for a week!" he laughed. Yaito growled and smacked him upside the head. _

"_Is that all you ever think about besides food!" Yaito raged. Dekao whimpered while Netto and Meiru laughed._

Netto had to chuckle at that. He had good friends who believed in him, and he felt slightly better about the whole situation. Haruka noticed his expression and smiled warmly at him.

"So, how was your day with your friends?" she asked as she offered her son a few snacks she prepared. Netto gratefully took one and devoured it.

"It went great Mama," he said in between bites. "Although we only talked about what's been happening, I had a great time with them."

"Oh?" Haruka asked as she set the plate down, "Did you tell them about-"

"Yeah, I did..." Netto answered while nodding. "I told them everything."

Haruka smiled again. "Well, I take it that they believed you then;" she said simply as she moved back into the kitchen. "You have really good friends, Netto."

"Thanks Mama," he said as he grabbed another few snacks off the plate and eating them. "I have to go up and write this stupid paper out for class." Netto said before rushing upstairs. Haruka only giggled.

Netto sighed as he closed the door to his room, looking down at both PETs on his waist. "You two haven't really been talking much today," he commented as he hooked them both up to his computer, "I wonder why?"

Rockman smiled at his operator. "I'm sorry Netto-kun, but I was busy talking with Roll and the others for most of the time." he said. Sighing and nodding, Netto looked over at the cloaked navi, who only shrugged.

"I had nothing to talk about." was all he said. Netto chuckled. The brunette noticed Forte shift a bit and sighed.

"I'm not going to force you to meet new people if you don't want to, Forte. I'll leave that up to you." he said reassuringly. Forte closed his eyes and nodded.

"Thanks." he said. Netto smiled at him again before turning to his computer, sighing at the assignment he was about to do.

Netto sat there for around half an hour, looking up information through his notes and typing up his report. Several times he saw Forte shift restlessly in his PET. He couldn't blame the navi; just sitting around with nothing to do would get to the brunette as well. Finally, he sighed and looked at both of his navis. "Since you guys have nothing else to do, why don't you go into the internet and just walk around?" he asked.

Rockman blinked. "Netto-kun, are you sure?" he asked skeptically, "What if something comes up while we're gone?" Rockman then glanced at Forte. He didn't fully trust him yet, and he wasn't quite sure if the cloaked navi could be trusted to go into the internet.

"Anything to just get out of here, Netto-kun." Forte groaned. Netto chuckled as he linked the two navis into his computer. Rockman, on the other hand, felt uneasy for some reason whenever Forte called Netto that. Shaking his head, he looked at his operator again.

"Then go out and just have a good time, you hear?" Netto said as he turned back to his assignment, "I'll still be here, so I'll contact you if I need you. Oh, and Rockman," the brunette suddenly said as he inserted a chip into Rockman's PET. "Could you go buy me a few chips at the Square? You know which ones I'm talking about, right?"

Rockman nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'll get it done." he said simply. Netto nodded at both of them as they exited his computer, off to explore the area. The brunette sighed.

"Hope Forte can get used to this area." he murmured as he went back to his report.

---

Forte didn't know what to say as he walked along the paths of the Akihara network. He would be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat uncomfortable in the area; he was used to the darkness of the Ura Net, not the brightness and rather colorful atmosphere of the surface. Next to him walked Rockman, who still was wary around him. The cloaked navi couldn't really blame him; after all, walking next to a former enemy was still very awkward.

Sighing, he looked around again. Numerous other navis were walking and talking with each other, taking no notice of him at all. It was rather odd just to see other navis just pass him by without feeling fear. Forte shook his head; it seemed he wasn't as imposing as he originally thought.

Rockman chuckled as Forte stared around in confusion. It seemed that the cloaked navi wasn't used to these kind of surroundings, and somehow he found it amusing to see that one of the most powerful navis in existence was just uncomfortable walking around in the internet. "There's no need to feel so jumpy, Forte;" Rockman said to him, "It's only the Akihara network. I don't see why you're so uncomfortable."

Forte narrowed his eyes at the blue navi. "You should know that I've always kept to the Ura Net for most of my life." he said as he kept walking, still looking around. "To suddenly wander the surface after such a long time is rather startling."

Rockman shrugged. "Maybe, but I still don't think it's such a big deal." he said as they turned a corner.

"Whatever." Forte muttered. Rockman sighed at Forte's attitude and kept walking. While he did agree that it would be pretty startling to just start visiting new places after lurking in only one area for several years, he didn't see why Forte was all unnerved by just walking in Akihara net.

_Really,_ Rockman thought, _It's not like anything happens here anyways._

After a few more minutes of walking, Rockman suddenly stopped at a fork in the path. Glancing back at the cloaked navi, who was staring at something in the distance, he coughed to get his attention. "Forte, I'm going to go do what Netto-kun asked me to do," he said as he turned back to the path leading to the square. "You should just walk around to get acquainted with this area for later, so I'll go by myself."

That in itself was a half-truth. Rockman did want Forte to memorize the area for later, but Rockman didn't want to be seen with Forte just in case someone did recognize him by chance. He doubted if anyone would, given that only the high ranked Netbattlers and the people at the Science Labs knew about him in the first place. Still, it would be better to be careful.

Forte snorted. "Fine. I know you don't want to be around me, so you don't have to make any excuses for it." he said. Rockman winced before resuming a neutral face and sighing.

"Well, I'll see you in a bit then." he said before walking off. Forte only stared at Rockman's back before sighing.

"Really, if he doesn't really want to be around me, then he should at least tell it to my face." he grumbled before walking off in another direction. Despite himself, Forte was trying to make an effort to get along with Rockman for Netto's sake. However, he found that difficult for two reasons. First off, it was pretty hard to try to get along with someone when the person doesn't even want to have anything to do with you. The cloaked navi was sure it wasn't like that, but Rockman had remained stoic towards him.

The second reason was that he still felt a little resentment towards the blue navi as well. He didn't know exactly why however; was it because he was jealous of the bond that Rockman and Netto shared? Or was it because he knew that Rockman would be closer to Netto than he ever could be? Forte didn't know, but he tried to quell whatever resentment towards Rockman.

Shaking his head, Forte wandered around the Akihara network for a while, memorizing all of the paths and where they led. Finally, he grew bored and just found a platform where he could just stand and stare off into the distance, looking at the depths of the network.

_Am I happy?_ Forte suddenly thought. _Am I content with being someone's navi again? I know Netto-kun would never hurt anyone he fully trusted, but what about everyone else...?_

However, he didn't get anymore time to think as he heard some very loud noises not far from him. Turning around, he saw a green navi running from something, obviously outrunning whoever was chasing him. He was smirking and was holding something in his left hand, but Forte couldn't tell what. The navi wasn't watching where he was going as he ran, eventually bumping into the cloaked navi hard enough to fall down.

The green navi groaned and quickly got onto his feet, growling at Forte. "Hey, what's the big idea bumping into me?" he asked, glaring at the cloaked navi. Forte only gave him a fixed stare as the green navi looked over his shoulder and frowned, sweating a little bit. "Get out of my way!"

"Why should I?" Forte questioned softly, narrowing his eyes. The green navi growled and pointed a buster to Forte's face.

"Fine then. I'll just use you as a hostage," the navi smirked as he edged the buster closer to the middle of the cloaked navi's face. "The net police wouldn't dare touch me if I held someone in their line of fire, would they?"

Forte let off a low chuckle, and before the navi knew it, he found himself being gripped by the throat, lifted into the air. Forte glared at him. "How pathetic..." he drawled as he tightened his grip; "You don't have the power to fight off two other navis by yourself, so you have to resort to cowardly tactics? Disgraceful!"

The green navi gasped as he felt his breath start to slowly leave him. "S-stop!" he gasped out, "Let me go...! I'll return what I stole to them!" he pleaded.

Forte shook his head, smirking. "I don't think so..." he said before tightening his grip once more, "I shall delete you right now, weakling."

The green navi was slowly choking. "N-no...!"

Forte kept on smirking before his eyes widened, a sudden image coming into his mind.

"_Rockman," a younger Netto asked his navi one day as he was sitting in his room, holding the blue PET in his hands. "What happens to navis when they are deleted?"_

_Rockman stiffened, looking at his operator. "Why are you asking about that, Netto-kun?" he asked in a choked voice. Netto shrugged._

"_I just want to know. Papa said something about deletions of navis the last time he was here, and I wanted to know what exactly happens to them." he said. Rockman looked down in thought for a few seconds before sighing softly._

"_Well, I don't know how to explain this..." he let out, "But navis are somewhat like humans. When they are deleted, they technically die." he said._

_Netto's eyes widened. "Die?" he gasped out, "But...but...how?"_

_Rockman held up a hand. "Please let me finish, Netto-kun." he said before continuing, "However, unlike humans, navis can be backed up and be restored."_

"_Restored?" Netto asked, tilting his head in confusion. Rockman chuckled._

"_Yeah, restored. If the operator makes a back-up of their navi, they can restore their personality data and memories into a new frame." Rockman explained before frowning. "However, if the operator doesn't back a navi up, then..."_

_Netto didn't need any further elaboration on that."So...deleting navis is wrong then?" he asked slowly, looking pale. "That means we should never do it, right?"_

"_Netto-kun,please try to understand me;" Rockman said while holding his hands up to placate the young boy, "In the future, there are probably going to be times where we may have to delete other navis without hesitation." he said, still staring at the brunette._

_Netto slumped. "But I don't want to delete any navis if I know they're going to permanently die..." he whimpered. _

_Rockman slowly smiled. "Don't worry, Netto-kun. As long as we only delete navis when we really need to, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about."_

_Netto blinked. "Do you really mean it?" he asked quietly._

"_I do." Rockman said as he nodded. Netto smiled happily._

"_Okay then!" he exclaimed as he jumped up off his bed, "Let's go on the net, Rockman! Maybe we'll find something to do there!" he said happily._

_Rockman laughed. "Alright, Netto-kun."_

_Netto smiled down at the blue navi. "Rockman, I'm never going to let you be deleted! I promise!" _

_Rockman smiled back, albeit sadly. "...thank you, Netto-kun."_

Forte's eyes were wide as the flash of the memory faded. "Netto-kun..." he whispered in shock. Absently, he felt the navi struggle in his grip before letting him go, still in shock about the whole memory.

The green navi fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air as two police navis arrived, putting him in restraints. "You're under arrest for grand theft!" one of them announced as he brought the navi onto his feet, restraining his arms. The other officer took the item the green navi was holding and inspected it before nodding. He nodded again to the other officer, who took it as a signal to teleport himself and the thief out.

The officer sighed and turned back to Forte, who was now staring at him. "Thank you. Because you were able to stop that navi, we were able to avert a coming crisis. Had he been able to escape, then he would have used that code to conduct massive frauds throughout the shops in Akihara." he explained as he stepped closer to the cloaked navi. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before...may I have your name?" he inquired.

Shaking his head, Forte turned around and ran off without a word. The officer navi only stared after him and scratched his head. "Strange kid..." he muttered before sighing. "All of these recent net crimes are starting to worry me. Almost all the recent ones involve navis from the Ura Net..." Shaking his head, he prepared to log out. "Perhaps I'm reading too much into it.."

---

Forte ran for quite a bit until he was sure that he was far enough away from other navis. Kneeling down, he panted as he held his head, the memory still flashing through his head. The cloaked navi realized that it was that conversation with Rockman that was the driving force behind Netto's ideals. It was that very conversation that helped the boy shape his views on navis, and helped him become the person he was today. He gasped as he he struggled to his feet, the memory finally starting to fade. Forte's breathing started to ease as he opened his eyes finally, calming himself down.

"Forte?" came a voice. The cloaked navi turned around to see Rockman behind him, looking somewhat concerned. Blinking, he stepped forward to face him. "What is going on? I heard someone was arrested by the Net Police earlier, but all they said was that they had the assistance of a navi with some sort of cloak...that was you, wasn't it?" he questioned.

Forte closed his eyes and nodded before walking past Rockman. The blue navi turned around in surprise as he walked past him. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Back to Netto-kun." was all that Forte said before slowly walking off. Rockman blinked and ran to catch up with him, looking confused.

"You going to tell me what happened?" Rockman asked as he caught up and walked to the side of the cloaked navi. Forte only glanced at Rockman before sighing.

"What is there to say? The criminal ran into me and made the mistake of threatening me." Forte said simply. Rockman paled. "However, I didn't delete him. There was no need to."

Rockman couldn't hold back his shock. "You didn't delete him?" he asked incredulously. Forte only shook his head.

"Correct. Deleting him would have been a waste of my time anyways." Forte muttered. However, Rockman felt there was more to it, but didn't feel the need to pry further.

When both navis were almost back at Netto's computer, Forte spoke up again. "Rockman...you're the one who told Netto-kun to not delete navis unless there was a really specific need to?" he asked. Rockman blinked.

"I...think so." Rockman let out. Forte closed his eyes and smirked.

"I see..." he murmured before walking ahead towards the webpage, "Thank you, Rockman." he said before disappearing into the link.

Rockman's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Forte actually thanking him for something he didn't entirely remember. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he ran into the link to be transported back into the computer, looking up into the face of his operator.

Netto blinked and looked at his computer as the two navis linked in. "Oh, are you two finally back?" he asked as he sat up in his chair. "You were gone for quite a while."

"Sorry Netto-kun," Rockman apologized, "We got held up."

Netto sighed. "It's okay. I only finished about a few minutes ago, so no worries." The brunette then turned to Forte, who was looking downward. "So Forte, what'd you do when you were out?"

Forte looked thoughtful for a few moments before he decided to answer truthfully. "I wandered around the whole area for a while before something happened...it was a net crime in progress."

"Really?" Netto said while looking interested. "What happened?"

"Some navi had stolen some kind of code or something, but..." Forte paused there to wonder if he should continue or not. Looking up at Netto's face, he sighed and pressed on anyways. "The thief bumped into me. He threatened me after some words, and I didn't take it too well."

"I see..." Netto replied while Rockman looked on curiously.

"I was ready to delete him. I was about to when a memory suddenly came up in my head...and it wasn't one of mine." Forte said, waiting for Netto's reaction.

The brunette stiffened for a moment before sighing and looking down at the cloaked navi. "It was one of my memories, wasn't it?"

Forte nodded solemnly. "Yes. The shock of the memory just made me drop the criminal and I lost my senses for a few minutes. The Net Police came and took him away, then Rockman found me, and then we just came back here."

Netto sat back in his chair, deep in thought. Rockman looked between him and Forte in surprise, trying to understand what was going on. Finally, Netto sighed as he looked at Forte. "It seems that my memories are affecting you too..." he said, "But...don't let that worry you, Forte."

At Forte's curious stare, Netto chuckled. "I know you're very strong, Forte. You're not the type that would let something like this rule over you. And as long as you know that I'm behind you, then you don't have to worry about it, all right?" he reassured the cloaked navi.

Forte only stared at his operator for a few seconds before slowly smiling. "I won't. Thanks, Netto-kun." he said softly. Netto chuckled.

"Don't worry about it!" Netto said. Forte suddenly smirked.

"Well, this is new. Getting your homework done on time?" Forte teased. Netto pouted.

"It's not like I had anything better to do. And besides, have you seen the workload that Mariko-sensei gave me?" he asked while gesturing to the pile of papers beside the computer.

"So you're actually going to get it done as soon as possible. Nice." Forte commented.

Rockman finally decided to pipe up. "Well, I think it's a nice change;" Rockman said, "It's good to see for once that Netto-kun isn't behind in his homework, don't you think?"

"Only when you overload him with work will he get anything done." Forte laughed. Rockman stepped back in surprise. Netto pouted again, but he laughed too.

"So little faith in me...I'm wounded." Netto said sarcastically. Both Forte and Rockman chuckled at that as Netto smiled at the both of them.

_I've never seen Netto-kun so happy and relaxed before._ Rockman thought as he looked at his operator. _I know he's been happy around me when we've been alone, but he's always been so tense for some reason...what is it about Forte that allows Netto to relax around him but not me?_

Rockman then turned away for a moment, his gaze lowered to the ground. _Is it because they both saw each other's memories? Is it because of that they can relate to each other?_ he questioned before sighing. _I don't know...I want to be as close to Netto as you seem to be right now, Forte. I want to see his memories too..._

Closing his eyes, Rockman turned back to the two while smiling. _But most of all...I want the link back..._

_---_

**Next Chapter:**_ Reminiscience_: By chance, Enzan and Meiru meet up in the park one day. The two then discuss their views on everything that has happened, and what changes in Netto they have seen. Meanwhile, Netto awakes from a nightmare...

---

**Author's Note:** Yep, managed to get this one out even as I felt too drained to write it.

Anyways, school starts for me next week and that means updates will be slowed down once again. Hopefully, I can probably get a new chapter out once every two weeks or so, depending on my workload.

About the story: Things are starting to pick up. The plot is starting to move slowly, but it will pick up in the next few chapters, I promise.

Alright, that's all I have to say for now. Until next time


	6. Reminiscence

Enzan frowned as he leaned back in his chair. He was staring at the computer screen, seemingly lost in thought. How was he going to write this? Growling slightly, he gulped down some more water. The past few days had been uneventful, but he had been on edge. Something didn't feel right to him.

"Enzan-sama," Blues' voice came from his PET, "You've already been here for an hour. Perhaps it's time to take a break?" he suggested.

Enzan chuckled. "Well, perhaps, but I am almost finished. Just a few more minutes, and then I'll get off." he said as he started typing again, this time sure of what he was writing. A few minutes later, he nodded in satisfaction as he read over what he had just written.

_Ijuuin Enzan reporting. Observation report four..._

_So far, Hikari Netto has not shown any wild changes in his behavioral patterns. He still goes to school, still interacts with his friends, and still talks to his parents, or parent in this case. There haven't been any incidents that have occurred over the past few weeks, and everything seems normal. However, he seems slightly more reserved now, and seems troubled at random parts of the day. Whether this is due to his link with Forte remains to be seen._

_As with Forte, there has been one interesting development. Apparently, the large theft that had happened last Thursday in the internet was stopped by Forte. I wasn't able to get all the details, since the police on duty at the time weren't entirely sure themselves, but nevertheless gave enough of a description that I figured out who stopped it. This type of behavior is odd, concerning Forte's past behavior. There were no injuries or deletions reported, which while good, strikes me as odd. I am somewhat concerned about this; this very action goes against everything we knew about him. Is it because of the new link with Netto? If it is, how is it affecting Netto then? So many questions remained to be answered._

_For now, I will keep a closer eye on the two of them. While I haven't seen any detrimental effect of their newly formed link yet, something may come up in the future. Expect my next report in two weeks._

The netbattler sighed as he attached his report to an e-mail and sent it to the head official. "There, finished." he said as he stood up and stretched. He had been sitting at the computer for over an hour, just thinking. Blues sighed in relief.

"It is advisable that you take a break now, Enzan-sama. There is nothing scheduled for today, so you're pretty much free." he said. Enzan nodded and picked his PET up.

"Thanks Blues, I will;" he said as he attached the PET to his clip and picked up his keys. "I think I'll take a walk...I need some fresh air." he murmured.

"As you wish, Enzan-sama." Blues replied as he quickly linked into the apartment's system and made the appropriate security changes. Returning to his PET, he smiled. "So, shall we go then?"

Enzan nodded and made his way out of the apartment, intent on just clearing his mind of everything.

---

A half hour later found the netbattler walking through the park in Akihara, apparently in thought. "Enzan-sama, I thought you went on a walk to clear your head, not be troubled." Blues sighed from his PET. Enzan shook his head, sighing as well.

"I know Blues, but I can't help it;" he replied as he looked at the red navi, "There is still a lot more things I need answered, and it's going to keep plaguing me until I find out the answers." Blues only shook his head. It seemed that his operator couldn't even relax when he wanted to.

Enzan sat down on a bench and stared at the ground. _Why am I so worked up over this?_ he thought as he stifled a yawn, _I trust Netto enough for him to handle someone like Forte, but why is it bothering me so much? Is it because Forte just showed a radical change in his behavior? If that's the case, what's happening with Netto?_

"Enzan?" came a voice to his side. Blinking, the netbattler looked up to see a familiar face looking at him in concern.

"Meiru? What are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing his forehead to try to ward off the oncoming headache. Meiru only smiled at him.

"Oh, I was just walking...mind if I sit here?" she asked. Enzan only nodded and scooted over to make room, which the girl sat down and smiled gratefully. "What brings you here? I never see you around here unless it's really important, you know?"

"Well...I just needed to clear my head, but it seems that I couldn't even do that." he muttered. Meiru sighed.

"You're worried about Netto, aren't you?" she asked. Enzan opened his mouth to retort, but Meiru giggled. "Don't be ashamed; he has made everyone worry about him ever since he got back."

Enzan closed his eyes and sighed again; Netto never made anything easy. "I can only imagine," he replied dryly, "But I'm more worried about Forte being with him. Netto is a good operator, yes, but..."

"Enzan, do you still doubt his story?" Meiru asked without looking at him. Instead, she turned her attention to the sky. "I know it sounds unbelievable, and let's face it, it does seem really out there. But still, I trust Netto's word, and I know he wouldn't lie about where he was." she said softly.

"Hmm...you may be right," he grunted, "But I'm more worried about the effects that little trip had on Netto."

Meiru nodded. "I know. I've seen the changes in him already." she said.

Enzan looked at her in surprise. "Really?" he asked, "Like what?" The netbattler, while a comrade, was unable to discern the major changes that Netto had gone through. It seemed that Meiru, the brunette's longtime friend, had been able to see more of the changes herself.

"Well..." she said as he took in a deep breath, "He's certainly less sociable than before. And his eyes..." she murmured, "He seems to have gotten older far too quickly. At times, they're not even the eyes I remember. Instead, they look rather distant..."

"How so?" Enzan questioned, looking curious.

"He looks far older than he should be, for one thing;" she replied, looking at the netbattler. "I know he spent several months on that other world, but even then, his eyes shouldn't look like that...so sharp and oddly cold..." she murmured, a hint of sadness in her voice.

If anything, that made Enzan even more concerned than before. "Sharp and cold, huh?" he muttered, "That's unlike him..." he said as he tried to imagine it in his head. Somehow, it made him unconsciously shiver.

"Tell me about it," Meiru replied, "But still...even if he isn't as lively or friendly as before, he's still Netto. He's still the same person that I've known for years, and nothing is going to change that." she stated firmly.

"Yeah, but what about his link with Forte? He already said that he saw all of those memories, and I'm certain that wasn't good for his psyche." Enzan replied. Meiru looked thoughtful.

Blues, who had been silent up until that point, spoke up. "Given what we know, Forte's memories are beyond anything we have witnessed ourselves. I would say that the change in Netto is expected..." he murmured, "But I do not think that we have seen the true extent of that change."

Roll decided to speak up too. "Why do you say that, Blues?" she asked curiously. The operators also looked at the red navi as well.

Blues coughed a bit. "I'm saying that we'll see how he's truly changed in the days to come. After all, I'm sure he's still coping."

Enzan blinked. "How can you tell?"

"I have my ways." Blues answered cryptically. Enzan could only sigh. It was silent for a few minutes before Roll decided to speak.

"Well, I think it speaks volumes about Netto's character if he came out of this all right without going insane, am I right?" Roll piped up.

Meiru smiled at her navi. "It does. But what Blues just said also has some merit in it..." she muttered worriedly. Enzan closed his eyes and sighed.

"I guess there is nothing we can do but wait," he said as he opened his eyes again and looked at the girl. "We'll see how much he's changed, and what effects that link with Forte has done."

Meiru looked a bit resigned, but nodded. "I suppose...I'm still worried. I've been feeling on edge lately, like something is going to happen...something big." she muttered.

Enzan only looked at her. "Things are never easy, are they?" he asked as he looked at the sky, "As I said, all we can do is wait. Hopefully we can get some answers then."

"I hope you're right..." Meiru murmured as she looked at the sky as well,

The two stayed there like that for around a half hour, just staring into the sky and lost in there own thoughts. Finally, Enzan grunted and stood up.

"I should get going. There is some stuff I need to check out..." he muttered as he stood up. Meiru stood up as well, stepping away from the netbattler.

"I should too..." she said as she took a few steps away. "Good bye, Enzan. Maybe we'll see each other later?" she giggled. Enzan smirked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Later." he said before turning and walking away. Meiru softly sighed before turning around and starting to head back to her house.

"Meiru-chan," Roll called from her PET, "Do you think was Enzan and Blues said was true?"

"They have a point...we can only wait and see what happens;" she replied as she crossed the street, "But I have faith in Netto. Even if he's changed, I'll still be by his side because I'm his friend. Nothing will ever change that." she stated firmly. Roll smiled.

"Right! We'll never abandon him!" she cheered. Meiru smiled and nodded.

"That's the spirit!" the girl said happily, "But like Enzan said, we have to wait. And if Netto has any problems, then I'll help him through them." she said. Roll nodded and Meiru made her way back to her house, seemingly happier than before.

---

Night had fallen onto Akihara, with the moon shining brightly onto the streets and the stars twinkling in the clear sky. The inhabitants of the town slept peacefully for once, no wind blowing against the windows of the houses or any noise disturbing the silence of the streets.

However, one person was tossing and turning in his bed, murmuring to himself and sweating wildly.

"No...don't...!" he muttered, turning over again.

_Two figures were standing in total darkness, with very odd programs adorning the walls; one was floating and the other was rooted to the ground, his gaze transfixed on the other._

"_H-how?" the figure on the ground stuttered, "How did you get so much power?"_

"_Easy;" the other figure snorted. "Thanks to the very ability you have given me, I've become stronger then you can ever dream of! Day after day, I was attacked by viruses, navis, you name it...only through trials you cannot imagine that I have become like this..." it said menacingly._

"_...so, all of this just for revenge?" the first figure asked sadly, "It seems you and I have become different, then. You're a threat to society...to mankind, even. I won't let that happen...I'll take you down with me!" the figure shouted out as it raised its arms and started to gather his power._

_The floating figure eyed the one on the ground in amusement. "Just what do you think you can do to me?" it asked sardonically._

"_I might not be able to do much..." the other figure said, "But I can do this!" it yelled as the power started to increase again._

_The floating figure chuckled. "All of this power you're building up...You intend to blow your self up just to try to take me down? How foolish!" it said._

_The first figure only looked upon him angrily. "Yes, I was foolish. I was foolish enough to create you! I should have known better...but now, I make up for that mistake!"_

_All of the amusement drained out of the floating figure's face as rage overtook it. "You...you cannot destroy me with such pitiful power! Die!" it roared as it rushed forward, its hand pulsing with energy as it drove it into the figure on the ground._

_There was a huge explosion. When it died down, only the floating figure was left. Chuckling to itself, it ran a hand through its hair, its eyes a mixture of sadness, rage, and madness. "All of those that come before me...they are destined to be destroyed!" it laughed as it suddenly disappeared._

Netto shot up off his bed, gasping for breath as sweat dripped down his face. Gripping his face with one of his hands, he closed his eyes again as he fought off the images in his head. His other hand was tightly gripping the bedsheets, the skin turning red from pressure. He groaned as his head throbbed in pain, his breathing labored. "Leave me alone...!" he hissed out as the images became clearer in his head. Eventually, they faded as he dropped his hands, staring at the ceiling.

"That dream...was it a memory?" he asked himself in shock. Closing his eyes tightly, he shook his head. "But...if it was, then why...then why did I see myself?" he choked out, obviously shaken.

Netto had realized that the floating figure in the dream, the one who killed without mercy, was him. That very image frightened him as he remembered the look of madness in his eyes as they glowed red. Shaking his head, he quickly made his way downstairs and got himself some cold water, which he promptly gulped down. The chill that was sent throughout his body somewhat helped him calm down as he made his way back up to his room. There was no way he would be able to sleep for a while after that dream.

Sitting down at his desk, he eyed the two PETs that were laid in their chargers. Both of them were off, and he could only smile grimly at them. "What's happening to me?" he asked himself as he looked at his hands, "These dreams...I know that they're Forte's memories..." he muttered lowly, "But why am I in them?" he asked himself, looking at the ground.

Feeling himself shake again, he gripped the edge of the desk. "I'm not going to give into these dreams...they are not my memories..." he gasped out. Feeling himself calm down, he returned his gaze to the PETs. Looking at Rockman's sadly, he quietly picked it up and stared into the blank screen.

"Rockman..." he whispered, "I can't imagine what you're feeling right now. The past few months have been hard, and I know you think I've been ignoring you...but that's not true." he said. Closing his eyes and sighing, he continued; "I'm always here for you, Rockman. I'll never abandon you, and you should very well know that. I cannot bear the thought of being away from you again..."

He paused there, wondering what to say next. "I don't regret what I have done. Forte also means a lot to me, and if I had to go and make that choice again, I would still choose the same. However..." he took in a deep breath, "I am going to find a way to reconnect the link between us. It is unfair to you for me to put you through all of this, and I didn't want this to happen..." he muttered. Closing his eyes again and sighing, he decided he should try and get some more sleep. "Just don't forget, Rockman, that I will be searching for a way to reconnect us...whether it is tomorrow, a month from now, or years down the road, I'll find a way. I promise." Netto said with finality as he crawled back into bed and drifted back into an uneasy sleep.

Just then, the blue PET flickered on as Rockman looked at his operator sadly. He had noticed Netto tossing and turning earlier and had watched him for a while when he shot up out of bed. While the boy had not noticed him as he walked out of the room, he turned his screen off when Netto had come back in, unable to find any words to comfort his operator. The navi couldn't really hear what Netto was saying before his PET was picked up, but what Netto said next reassured him.

_It was foolish of me to think that Netto-kun would abandon me for Forte,_ Rockman thought, _Not only that, it is insulting to him too! What have I been thinking lately?_

Sure, the blue navi had been jealous of Forte, but that's because the cloaked navi seemed to be closer to Netto than he ever was. However, the boy just made him realize something. _Netto-kun has faith in both me and Forte equally...just as he is close to the both of us. He would never put one's feelings over the other...I've just been too caught up in my own feelings to notice that!_

Grimacing, he looked at the black PET. _Now I have to try and make amends with Forte. I have to do my part too for Netto-kun._ he thought with new resolve. Looking at Netto's prone form again, he sadly smiled.

_Now I know he wants the link back for sure...I'll try my hardest too, Netto-kun. Count on it._

---

**Next Chapter:** _Rising Tension_: Things start to heat up when outbreaks of crime happen more and more frequently around Densan. In the middle of it all, Netto catches wind that his own mother is being held hostage by a madman. With Enzan and Meiru by his side, he manages to corner him, but he feels oddly uneasy. What is going on in Densan?

---

**Author's Notes:** Ah...sorry about the long wait for this chapter, but I had taken a short hiatus from the story to get some personal stuff back in order and more inspiration. Managed to get this chapter out, so no worries.

Anyway, I'm still going back and replacing the chapters with the beta versions. I haven't done it yet because I've been horrendously lazy and I've been idling too. I'll try and change them by this week.

Again, sorry about the wait, but I'll try and write faster. It's just been an exhausting few weeks. But for now, later


	7. Rising Tension

Deep in the depths of the Ura Net, a crack shining with eerie light could be seen off the edge of one of the many platforms making up the walkway. Two navis that frequented the Ura Square were on that very same platform, staring at it.

"What do you think it is?" the first navi asked, staring at the light it was giving off.

The second navi shrugged. "I dunno. There has to be something good beyond there, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't go near it, though. Something about it is really creepy..." the first navi said. The second one scoffed.

"What are you, a wimp? You are one of the navis of the Ura Net! Don't chicken out now!" the navi said before moving closer. However, before he could get any closer, the first navi spoke up again.

"Did you just hear that laugh?" the first navi asked, looking around worriedly. The second navi shrugged.

"Nope. Just ignore it." the second navi said remarked. Just then, the light seeping through the crack gto brighter, and a booming laugh could be heard.

"What the..." the second navi murmured before screaming out in pain as electricity made up of dark power entered its body, racking its entire frame in pain.

The first navi was horrified, but could do no more as it screamed out in pain too, its eyes turning a dull red.

"Chaos..." a voice murmured, which seemed to be coming from the crack. "Cause chaos...feed me strength..."

When the energy died down, the two navis only walked away mindlessly, intent on listening to what the voice said.

The voice laughed again as the crack in the wall grew larger. "Soon..."

---

"Two navis?" Dr. Regal asked in an interested fashion as he stirred some sugar into his tea, "Your son must be quite talented to be able to control two navis at the same time."

"He is, but..." Yuuichirou said, holding his chin in his hands, "I worry that he might get caught up when trying to send chips to both of them at the same time, when the Progress PET was made to be held in two hands when battling. The Progress PET is cumbersome if someone is trying to send chips one-handed." he remarked. The scientist now found it odd that he was speaking to Regal with no hesitation whatsoever, when only a few weeks ago, he was incredibly wary. He could only chalk it up to how strange life could be.

Regal looked thoughtful. "Perhaps if there was a way to send one chip to both navis at the same time..."

Yuuichirou shook his head. "I don't know if it's possible, but I just worry that he may need to send chips to both of his navis when they really need it, and he might not be able to." he murmured.

"This gives me an idea..." Regal said as he took out a document from his briefcase, "I have been thinking for a while on a device that would send chip data from one battle chip to two navis at the same time. Obviously, the power of the chip would be cut, but the effect would still remain the same;" he said as he pointed it out to Yuuichirou, "The problem I have been facing is that people rarely use more than one navi at a time anymore. Your son may be the one I am looking for to test this out."

The brunette looked really interested as he looked over the schematics. "This is really something;" he complimented, "This doesn't look too complicated to build, either."

"Yes, well...I was hoping to ask if you wanted to help. I have no doubts that with your help, I can get a prototype version of this up within a week." Regal remarked.

Yuuichirou closed his eyes and nodded. "I'll help. We'll have to do it when my duties aren't calling for me constantly, though." he said while chuckling.

Regal chuckled too before getting serious. "I trust you've heard about the upswing of incidents with the Ura Net?"

The brunette nodded. "I have. For some inexplicable reason, more navis that have been inhabiting the Ura Net are coming out in full force, either attacking random civilians or committing crimes around the internet city." he commented.

"Yes, but that is not what is worrying me;" Regal said as he got out another document. "According to various reports, there is a tremendous energy signature within the depths of the Ura Net. Although some people are dismissing it as part of the 'Secret Area' where the Giga Freeze program was located, many are speculating that there is something hidden besides the 'Secret Area'."

Yuuichirou looked down in thought. "I severely doubt it has anything to do with the area where the Giga Freeze program was located;" he said dryly, "From what I have been hearing, reports have said that the energy down there has been chaotic, and the official navis have felt a sense of malice coming from it. They haven't been able to locate the source, but it is definitely coming from somewhere in the Ura Net."

Regal then sighed. "I can only hope that the situation doesn't get any worse from here."

The brunette grimaced. "Don't say that...since things always do get worse if it is said."

---

"Netto-kun, are you alright?" came Rockman's voice, watching his operator move back and forth in his room. Forte was only watching silently from his PET, wondering what Netto was doing.

The brunette looked over at the two navis and sighed. "I'm fine. I just feel really uneasy for some reason." he said as he gave them a grin.

_Of course I feel uneasy. That dreams from a few nights ago still has me thinking about it._ Netto thought. Both navis were looking at him skeptically before Rockman sighed.

"If you say so, Netto-kun." Rockman sighed. Netto then took both PETs downstairs to the empty living room. Haruka had errands to run that day, and Netto had the house to himself. Normally, that would be a good thing in his eyes, but currently, he needed someone to talk to about the dream.

He knew he should tell both Rockman and Forte about the dream he had. However, he didn't want them to worry constantly over him. There wasn't any need to worry themselves any more over him for the time being; he would tell them eventually.

_Maybe I should go tell Meiru-chan about this...she would understand._ Netto thought as he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and gulped some down. The chill that raced up his body helped calm his nerves down as he took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get out of here. I need some fresh air." Netto said as he went upstairs to retrieve his things.

Meanwhile, in his PET, Forte's eyes narrowed. Something was dreadfully wrong with the way Netto was acting. _Something is obviously bothering him, but he is not telling either of us. Why, though?_

Rockman was having similar thoughts. _Netto-kun...is whatever that is bothering you so bad that you can't even tell us?_

Soon enough, Netto was skating down the streets, just thinking. Meiru, as it turned out, was out walking somewhere. This gave the brunette ample time to think as he skated around the park trying to find her.

"Are Forte's memories bothering me so much that they haunt me in my sleep?" Netto quietly muttered to himself. "And more importantly...why am I showing up in his memories during times I wasn't there?"

Sighing, he sat down on a bench and looked at both of the navis. "I guess Meiru isn't anywhere around here." he muttered.

"Are you finally going to tell us what is bothering you?" Forte asked bluntly. At Netto's surprised expression, he sighed in exasperation. "Don't look so surprised, Netto-kun. Anyone can tell you are obviously worried about something."

Rockman nodded. "It is easy to spot. So please, just tell us what is wrong, Netto-kun!" he cried.

Netto looked down in though, frowning. "I will tell you what is wrong...but not now. I need some more time to think about it."

Forte crossed his arms and huffed. "You're not getting away that easily. You better tell us tonight." he stated.

Netto gave both of them a small smile and nodded. "I will. I promise." he said.

Rockman sighed. "Good. Now, weren't you going to go find Meiru?" he asked. Netto chuckled.

"Yeah, I am. I just don't know where she keeps walking, though, since she chooses somewhere different everyday." Netto commented as he started to skate out of the park.

---

Haruka sighed as she exited the grocery store, hefting a bag full of items for that night's dinner. She noticed that the normally bustling Densan was oddly subdued today, but she just dismissed it as her imagination. As she started the long walk back home, she looked at the sky.

"These past few weeks really have been chaotic, if I say so myself;" she said to herself as she crossed the street, "First Netto is kidnapped by a renegade goddess, then he reappears with another navi, and now all of this." she sighed.

She hated it when her husband had to pull long hours at his office in the Science Labs. Haruka knew it couldn't be helped, but it still didn't mean she had to like it. However, that seemed preferable to the weeks he was staying at his office. Whenever something large happened, he buried himself into his work.

Shaking her head, she stood at the intersection, waiting for the light to turn. Yuuichirou was still mystified about the severing of the link between their sons, and was doing his utmost to find a way to reconnect them. While Haruka supported her husband on everything he did, she feared he was missing one essential part in what he was doing.

_I hope he hasn't forgotten about Forte, and his bond with Netto,_ she thought as she finally crossed the street, _I'm sure Netto wants the link back as much as both Saito and Yuuichirou do, but I know Netto is not going to sever ties with Forte if it means to do that. I hope Yuuichirou can see that in time._

Haruka wasn't clueless; she could see the writing on the wall. From the calls she got from her husband from time to time, she knew what Yuuichirou was trying to do. Not to say that she didn't disagree with him, but she knew that there had to be another way to go about it. "I'll just have to wait and see what happens." she sighed again as she continued her walk home.

At that moment, the intersection lights all exploded in unison.

Looking back in shock, Haruka could see many people screaming and running away, with a few lying around injured. Cars were honking everywhere, and the noise was deafening. Even with all of the noise, however, she could still hear several explosions further away.

"What is going on...?" she gasped out, looking around. People were already panicking; several people running and screaming, and people almost being trampled in the rush to get out. The police were already on the scene, trying to calm the civilians down and plugging in their navis into the network, but they could only do so much.

"Is this what Yuuichirou was talking about?" she muttered to herself. Over their last few calls, Yuuichirou had warned her about several navis from the Ura Net causing mass mayhem throughout Densan. He also felt it would only be a matter of time before they did something drastic.

Deciding the best course of action was to get home as soon as possible, she turned around and started to walk as quickly as she could down the street. It would still take her a while, but as long as she was away from the chaos of the main streets, she would be fine.

She kept her pace up for a few minutes before she stopped to take a breather. There were still people running around in a panic, and she needed to distance herself. However, she failed to notice the person stalking up behind her and grabbing her in a choke hold. Haruka gasped and dropped the bag of groceries, struggling to get the arm off her neck.

"Hello hello..." the man purred into her ear, "What do we have here?"

"Let me go!" Haruka cried as she struggled to no avail. The person behind her chuckled.

"No, I don't think so dearie;" he said softly, "You are my ticket to some quick zenny, and I am not going to let that go so easily." he said coolly as he held up a dagger to her neck.

Haruka stiffened; she was in trouble, and no one was around to help her as she started to get dragged off by the man.

---

"I don't believe this..." Netto said, stunned. He had returned home to get some more water and make sure everything was alright when he turned on the television. Across all stations, the same message was being played.

"_Only an hour earlier,Densan experienced what was either a terrorist or net-terror attack when several stoplights exploded in unison. Mass panic has gripped the citizens of the city, and police are doing all they can to calm them down._" came Kero's voice from the television. Her normal, cheerful demeanor was replaced by a serious one.

"This doesn't look too good..." Rockman murmured.

Netto could only nod at that, but what was said next made him freeze up in fear. "_However, only a mere half hour ago, we received word that Kera Takeshi, a known thief and criminal on the police's list in Densan, has taken himself and a hostage into an evacuated office building. From what police are saying, he is demanding three million zenny for the release of the hostage, who we just learned was Hikari Haruka-"_

A sudden shift in his seat, and Netto was already flying out of the door, running for all he was worth.

"Netto-kun, stop! We have to think about this!" Rockman cried as he tried to calm his operator down.

"I've already thought about it. I'm going to save mama!" Netto growled.

"Think about it a bit more! What will happen to mama if we just go in charging recklessly?" Rockman countered.

"That lowlife will not even kill her;" Forte spoke up, also looking angry, "If all he is looking for is money, he wouldn't dare to kill her because he would be forfeiting his life in the process."

Rockman blinked at the logic, but then sighed. "I hope you aren't going to go charging in blindly, Netto-kun. I want to rescue mama as much as you do, but we need a plan before doing anything!"

"I know, and I have one," Netto said as he skated down the streets as fast as he could. "I just have to find him first!"

As luck would have it, Netto ran right into Enzan as they were running in the same direction. The netbattler stared at Netto.

"I hope you're really going to do what I think you're going to do." Enzan groaned as they ran down the streets together.

"Yep." was the curt answer.

"You know I can't allow you to go charging in alone, right?" Enzan asked as they stepped up the pace.

"I know."

"You wouldn't be able to get past the police barricades!" Enzan exclaimed. Netto smirked at him.

"Yeah. That's why I came to find you first." he replied.

Enzan blinked in shock. Netto was thinking ahead. Without any further words, the two continued to run down to the city, avoiding all the civilians in their way.

"Netto!" came a voice from behind the two boys. Meiru was running up, out of breath. After she took a few deep breaths, she spoke up. "I heard what happened, and started to rush over here because I knew what you were going to do. I'm coming with you!"

Netto nodded. "Fine. Let's go!" he said impatiently as the three started to run again.

It took them around twenty minutes of running and stopping for breath before they reached the office building. It was surrounded by swarms of police, just waiting for the chance to rush in. The chief himself was at the front with a megaphone, apparently just having finished yelling something.

Without any delay, Enzan ran up and shoved his PET in front of the chief's face. "Official NetBattler. Let me and these two through!" he said breathlessly, gesturing to the two behind him.

"But..." the chief tried to speak up, but Enzan only growled at him in annoyance. Frowning, the chief ordered everyone to let the three kids through.

The three ran into the building and stopped to catch their breath. "Well, getting past them certainly was easy." Meiru remarked as she gripped her PET. Enzan nodded.

"The officials have certain powers over police officers, one being the power to override the chief's authority in a situation like this," Enzan explained as he started walking towards the staircase. "I heard that he's holding your mom on the third floor. We should hurry."

"Right." Netto said as he and the other two walked up the staircase. He felt dreadfully cold from fear, but he brushed it aside as he kept climbing, finally opening up the door into the hallway.

"So, how are we going to go about this?" Netto asked warily as he looked around the hallway.

"Perhaps we should split up? That way, we can find them faster." Rockman suggested from his PET. Meiru nodded in agreement, but Enzan shook his head.

"No, at least not in this case. I don't think he's expecting us, and since we already know he's on this floor somewhere...and there aren't that many rooms on this floor in any case." Enzan muttered.

"So we stick together. Easy enough." Forte grunted from his position.

Netto shook his head. "Yeah, but we need to both hurry and be careful. We don't know what he's going to do to mama." he said quietly before gesturing down a hallway to tell everyone to follow him. Enzan and Meiru nodded as they followed the brunette, walking as quietly as they could.

For a few minutes, the three couldn't find any sign of the criminal until they heard a noise coming from behind double doors. Enzan gestured for them to be silent as they leaned towards the door to hear through it.

"They aren't going to pay you that much, I'll have you know." came a voice that Netto immediately recognized as his mother's.

They heard a man chuckling, which Netto assumed to be Takeshi. "They will. I have no doubts."

"You obviously aren't very bright, then." Netto heard Haruka murmur, and had to suppress a chuckle.

"Be quiet, you;" Takeshi then said, "Or do you forget who is in control here?"

That was enough for Netto as he quickly barged in through the doors. "Let go of mama right now!" he yelled.

Takeshi turned around quickly, still holding Haruka. "You...how did you find me!" he asked, bringing the knife closer to Haruka's throat. Haruka looked both shocked and worried at the same time.

"Kera Takeshi," Enzan said coolly as he stepped up beside Netto, "Wanted for numerous counts of petty theft, racketeering, and other various illegal activities. I guess we can add kidnapping to that, huh?"

Takeshi sneered as he stepped back. "Be quiet, you little runt. You don't know anything."

"Oh?" Enzan replied, holding up his PET. "I am Ijuuin Enzan, Official NetBattler. I hereby place you under arrest." he said while smirking.

The black haired man blanched before regaining his composure. "Bah, I still have this little woman here. So I still hold control." he said while grinning sinisterly.

"You don't even have the courage to do it;" came Forte's voice from his PET, "Because you know that you will be caught and eventually killed if you did murder her, and cowards like you don't want to lose their life." the navi snorted.

Takeshi grimaced again, and the hand holding the knife shook. "Your navi has quite a mouth on him." he growled.

Meiru then used her chance to speak up. "Just let her go, you coward! You've already lost!"

Takeshi growled once again before dragging Haruka over to a console in the wall. "Stupid kids such as you need to respect their elders," he sneered as he pressed something on the console, "I wonder; with all the chaos that is going on, will anyone notice viruses infecting this entire building? I'm sure that this and the neighboring bank will be happy to accommodate them!" he exclaimed as he plugged in some sort of device into it. Immediately, the console began to sound a loud warning, letting everyone in the room know that viruses started to infect the system.

"That's a security console..." Netto muttered. Wasting no time, he took out both PETs. "Rockman, Forte, Transmission!" he cried as both beams entered the console. Enzan and Meiru followed suit, and their navis soon appeared inside the console.

Roll took a look around and gasped. "So many viruses! It'll be a disaster if they break through here and into the bank's system!"

Blues grimaced. "Looks like we're going to stop them here."

Forte nodded and stared at the opposing viruses, while Rockman got his buster ready. "Should be no problem for you, right?" Rockman teased.

Forte smirked. "Bah. There are nothing. I'll just consider this an exercise."

Rockman chuckled. "Fine. Let's just do away with them in that case!" he exclaimed as he fired his buster into a large group of viruses.

Forte followed suit, and soon enough, the four navis were fighting off the large group of viruses.

Meanwhile, Netto and his friends continued to stare down Takeshi, who was smirking at the three of them.

"You're only making this more difficult for yourself, you know;" Enzan said, "You're cornered. You can't escape anywhere, and we've already decided you're too gutless to even attempt what you are thinking."

The black haired man growled, but said nothing. Netto decided to speak up this time. "Why? Why are you doing all of this?"

"Just a simple chance of using the situation to my advantage." he answered coolly. Netto frowned.

"It's obvious that things backfired horribly." he replied dryly. Meiru then spoke up.

"I don't get why you kidnapped someone randomly. What is your reasoning?" she asked.

Takeshi chuckled, holding the knife closer to Haruka's neck. "I thought with all of the chaos those Ura Net navis were causing all over the city, the police would be too busy and I would be able to negotiate a tidy sum for myself for the release of this woman here." he said.

Enzan grunted. "Your mom was right Netto, he's not very bright." Netto chuckled again before glaring at Takeshi.

"In any case, you're finished. Just turn yourself in before you add any more jail time to your eventual sentence." Netto said.

Inside the console, projectiles were flying everywhere as the navis were decimating the viruses. The number of viruses had decreased considerably, but there were still quite a few left as the four regrouped.

"It's like there is no end to them!" Rockman said as he fired off another volley of shots. Blues nodded.

"Just keep going! They're going to fall sooner or later!" he said as he rushed in and took out another group.

Roll then noticed a large group of viruses were gathered around something and were attacking it. She gasped in horror as she realized what it was. "Everyone! They're attacking the core!"

The other three navis stopped their attack to see where Roll was pointing. Indeed, the viruses were attacking the power source of the machine. Immediately, the four ran over to viruses and started attacking full force; if the core was destroyed, then everything in the machine would be deleted.

Unfortunately, they were too late. Despite taking out numerous viruses, the combined attacks of the viruses were able to damage the core and make it unstable. Blues cursed himself for not noticing before and turned back to his companions.

"Everyone, we have to plug out! There is nothing more we can do here!" he exclaimed as plugged out. The other three followed suit as the core started to explode.

Cackling electricity caught everyone's attention as the security console started sparking. "Huh?" Takeshi wondered as he looked over his shoulder.

The console then exploded, sending both Takeshi and Haruka sprawling across the floor, screaming.

"Mama!" Netto cried in fear as he ran over to her. The woman was on the floor, holding her arm in pain. Enzan and Meiru also ran over to check her injuries out. "It looks like she got away with nothing but some mild burns..." Enzan remarked.

However, Netto was not listening. Instead, he was staring at the writhing form of Takeshi, who took the brunt of the explosion. He felt rage fill his chest as he clenched his fists tightly, growling angrily.

_He hurt Mama...that scum hurt mama!_ Netto repeated in his head. At that moment, something unexplainable happened as he felt some sort of hatred overcome him. He didn't fight back, however, as his eyes narrowed and became cold.

Slowly walking towards the downed man, he spied the knife that was knocked out of his hands. Reaching down, he picked it up before resuming his advance. "Netto-kun, what are you doing!" Rockman cred from his PET.

Everyone looked up to see Netto slowly approached Takeshi. "Filthy human..." he said, stunning everyone, "How dare you..."

"Netto!" Meiru cried, getting up to try and stop him. "Stop it!" she said, grabbing his arm. However, Netto only pushed her down, not even looking at her.

"You disgust me," Netto spat hatefully, glaring at the man looking up at him in fear, "I'll make sure no one will have to look upon your pathetic visage again!" he said as he started to raise the knife.

"Netto, what are you doing!" Enzan asked as he got up to try and intercept his friend.

"Netto-kun! Stop!" Forte cried out fearfully.

"Stop it Netto-kun! Don't do it!" Rockman added.

The combined voices made Netto gasp as his eyes became unclouded. Shaking, he looked at the knife raised above his head before throwing it down away from him and collapsing to his knees. "What...what was I doing?"he whispered.

Enzan came over and held his friends shoulder while getting out his PET and contacting the chief. "This is Ijuuin Enzan. Kera Takeshi has been incapacitated, but Hikari Haruka is injured. Get some officers up here along with some paramedics, on the double!" he said before closing the link and turning back to Netto.

"Netto...what just happened?" Meiru asked as she approached. Netto shook his head.

"I don't know..." the brunette said, staring up at his friends in horror. "One moment, I was angry that mama was hurt because of him...then the next moment, I felt utter hatred and wanted to see nothing more than him gone..." he muttered.

"Netto..." Enzan muttered in worry.

Inside Rockman's PET, the blue navi was worrying while Forte had linked himself in. "What just happened? What came over Netto-kun?" Rockman asked in shock.

Forte shook his head, just as shocked. "I...do not know. The things he said though...that is what worries me. He never calls anyone a filthy human, even when..." he didn't finish as he gasped in shock. "Do you think my memories are the cause of all of this?"

Rockman's eyes widened. "Do you think this is why he was so bothered earlier this morning?" he asked. Forte looked down at the ground in thought.

"Perhaps, but we need to ask him to be sure. I don't think right now is a good time." the cloaked navi said as he looked back at his operator.

Rockman nodded. "I know. I just can't believe something like this would happen, though..." he murmured.

Forte closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "I can't believe it either..." he remarked. _Netto-kun...my memories, my hatred...are they becoming yours instead of mine? This can't be happening..._

_It just can't be!_

---

**Next Chapter:** _Conflicting Interests_: Netto finally tells both of his navis about his dream, and needless to say, Forte isn't pleased at all. Both navis promise to work together to try and help Netto overcome it. Meanwhile, Science Labs makes an important announcement, while Yuuichirou has something to say. However, when he does say it, it has the potential to tear father and son apart. And the conflict is only beginning...

---

**Author's Notes:**

Yes, another late chapter. By a month, even. Oh well, couldn't be helped.

Events happened both in real life and online that I couldn't ignore, and I found myself pushing this chapter back. I decided to just write the whole thing today to appease everyone. I'll try and get these chapters out faster, but I can't guarantee anything.

Sorry about the wait again.


	8. Conflicting Interests

Netto sighed as he laid his head down on his desk. Everything was too much. Haruka was alright despite her burns, and she was able to come home without staying at the hospital, although she needed some ointment and some medication to keep the pain at bay. Enzan, after checking if he was alright, went off to report to his superior, while Meiru went home to check if everything was alright.

The boy didn't know what to think. Were his friends scared of him now since he nearly killed that criminal? Although he knew that they wouldn't abandon him so easily, his mind kept telling him that they were afraid of him, disgusted even. It was all he could do not to break down into tears.

He didn't know what came over him. One minute, he was beyond angry at the man that caused his mother to get hurt. The next thing he knew was overwhelming hatred; not just for him, but people like him...humans. It was if his body was moving automatically, because he couldn't remember even doing what Enzan had told him.

Netto was then brought out of his thoughts as he heard someone calling. "Netto-kun?" Rockman's voice came as the brunette looked up to see both of his navis looking at him worriedly. "Are you alright?" The blue navi then winced to himself. Of course Netto wasn't alright.

"I'm fine...just thinking about everything that just happened." he mumbled tiredly. Forte grunted.

"Don't give us that. You're obviously not fine, and you're still shaken up about the whole thing." the cloaked navi retorted. His eyes softened when he saw Netto visibly flinch. "Just tell us what has been bothering you. Keeping it to yourself will only make it worse." he said softly.

Netto closed his eyes and looked away from the two. "I..." he let out quietly before shaking his head, "I can't."

"Please tell us what's wrong;" Rockman implored, looking very worried. "I'm scared, Netto-kun. I'm scared of what is happening to you, but I'm even more scared of why you're not telling us what's wrong. So please...just tell us what's wrong!"

Forte nodded at the exclamation. Netto took in a few deep breaths before nodding. "Alright, I'll tell you;" he sighed in resignation as he looked at both navis seriously, "But I can tell you that you will not like what you're about to hear."

Forte crossed his arms and stared at his operator. "Maybe, but if you at least tell us what's wrong, then maybe we could help." Netto grimaced.

"I suppose..." he muttered before taking in a deep breath. "Well, this all started a few nights ago. It was a normal day, but when I was sleeping, I was dreaming about something horrifying;" Netto then paused for a bit before speaking up again. "But then again, it wasn't really a dream. It was more like I was experiencing it."

At those words, Forte felt his whole body turn cold from dread. "A memory?" he asked sharply, trying vainly to hide his reaction. Rockman noticed Forte looking anxious and grimaced.

Netto rubbed his head. "At this point, I don't know what it was;" he admitted, "A dream, a memory...or is it a vision of what is to come?"

Rockman closed his eyes and sighed. "Please, tell us about it."

Netto nodded. "Well, from what I remember, it took place inside a network somewhere..." he started, looking outside his bedroom window, "It was really dark, and I remember two figures talking to each other. At first, I didn't know who one of the figures was...but I knew who that second one was," he said, looking upon Forte sadly. "It was Dr. Cossack."

The cloaked navi drew in a sharp breath to keep himself from growling audibly. He hated that name more than anything, but he kept silent for Netto's sake. The boy then continued, "They were talking about something...the first figure was mocking Dr. Cossack, saying he had attained more power than he had ever thought possible." At that, Forte couldn't help but step back in shock, his eyes going wide.

_That was when...that was during the time I worked with that fool, Wily..._ Forte thought, stunned. Rockman looked over at the other navi, unsure of what to say to him. However, Netto continued uninterrupted.

"There were more words exchanged between them, and Cossack said he regretted ever creating the other person," Netto went on, looking sad. "The other figure got angry, and after he yelled something I couldn't make out, he gathered some energy and drove it into Cossack...I don't know if he was killed or not."

Forte closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Netto-kun. That memory you saw...it was one of mine. It happened during the Proto incident when you had to use the Pulse Transmission Machines, remember?" he let out slowly, trying to get the feeling back into his body. No matter what he did, though, it still felt cold.

Netto shook his head again. "I'm not finished. When the smoke cleared, the figure laughed and said something about all those that stood in his way were destined to fall. I finally saw who it was," he said as he took yet another deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Meanwhile, Rockman was trying to calm down Forte, who was shaking at this point. "It was me. I can't forget those eyes...red, and filled with hatred."

Both navis gaped at Netto in shock. Forte slumped to his knees, staring up at his operator, while Rockman stood up shakily. "Is...is all of that true!" he stammered, eyes wide in disbelief.

Netto closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "I told you both of you wouldn't like it;" he muttered. "Now, it's starting to become hard to know which memories are mine and which ones are Forte's. It's like they're melding together, almost."

"But Netto-kun, why? Why did you keep this from us?" Rockman asked, worried for his brother.

"Because I didn't want you worrying about me any more than you had to." the brunette responded, leaning back in his chair.

"Worrying more than we had to?" Forte said slowly as he stood up, visibly trembling, "Netto-kun, do you think we're fools? As long as you're acting like this, it is cause to worry about you!"

Netto blinked. "Forte?"

The cloaked navi grit his teeth, still shaking involuntarily. For the first time outside of battle, he felt fear. What was happening to his operator? "How could you keep this from me? From us?" he asked angrily, gesturing towards Rockman. "Why? Why did you not come to us if your dreams were leaving you like this? Do you think I like seeing you like this!" he raged.

Netto stared down at Forte, his expression unreadable. "Forte...please understand. I know both you and Rockman have been worrying enough about me lately. Do you think I enjoy placing more stress and worry upon both of you?"

The cloaked navi was somewhat placated by the retort, but was still angry nonetheless. "You should have at least said something. We are going to get worried if we know you're bothered by something, and you don't say what." he muttered.

The brunette sighed. "I didn't want to bring it up. I knew you didn't like remembering the past, so I just kept it to myself."

Forte had no retort for that as his anger seemed to deflate, but Rockman, who was silent up to that point, stepped forward. "Still, I think it would have been better if you at least told us earlier, not after all of this happened." he said simply, hiding his own anger. Netto sighed.

"Maybe..." he said before standing up. "I'm sorry about it, but I didn't want you two to worry over me even more than what was needed;" Netto then offered them a small smile, "Let's just move on and try to keep moving ahead. No need to keep mulling on things that have already past, right?"

Rockman gave him a shaky smile in return. "Right."

Netto then yawned and started to grab some clothes. "I'm going to take a shower and head to bed right afterwards. This day has just been too long to handle."

Both navis nodded, and Netto gave them another smile as he exited the room. Immediately, Rockman turned around to face Forte, frowning. "He's suffering." Rockman said plainly.

Forte nodded slowly. "You noticed it too?" he asked. The blue navi nodded, and he sighed. "This feels like it's all my fault." he said solemnly.

Rockman shook his head. "No, it isn't. This is just an unintentional part of your link with him, right?" he asked. For some reason, he didn't feel uncomfortable now when talking about the link between the two, but he brushed that aside as he continued, "And even still, Netto-kun isn't blaming you for this. I'd bet if he knew back then when he chose to form the link that this would happen, then he would still do it." he reassured the cloaked navi.

Forte chuckled. "He is like that, isn't he?" he asked amused. "Nevertheless...somehow, my memories are merging with his. Why though? All I get are random flashes of Netto-kun's memories and feelings from time to time, so why is he suffering more?" Forte questioned, looking at the blue navi.

Rockman looked down in thought, trying to remember what Netto had said about the link months before. "Well...maybe it's because he transferred some of his life-force to your body and is taking the brunt of the link?" he offered before sighing and sitting down. "I don't know. It could be a number of reasons."

Forte groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I do know one thing, however;" he said as the blue navi looked at him, "We have to help him through this."

"I know," Rockman said while nodding, "But the question is how? While we can be there for him, the only one that can get over this is Netto-kun himself." he said in resignation.

The cloaked navi growled softly while looking down at his hands. "I find it funny...even with all of my power, I am useless to even help the one person that I even care about;" he chuckled bitterly. "Is this what helplessness feels like?"

Rockman stared at the cloaked navi sadly. "Forte..." he muttered before getting a resolved look in his eyes, "We'll find some way to help Netto-kun get over this. We might not be able to do much, but we still have to try, right?"

Forte hesitated for a minute before nodding. "Yeah," he agreed softly, looking at the ground. "I won't let my memories overtake Netto-kun. I promise him that..." Forte then sighed. "It's all I can do right now, apparently."

Rockman nodded. "Maybe, but it's still something." he said.

"This sucks." Forte grumbled.

Surprisingly, Rockman agreed. "It does indeed."

---

"Is that all you have to report, Ijuin-san?" came the head netbattler's voice.

Enzan nodded. "Yes, it is."

The head sighed and leaned back in his seat while not taking his eyes off the screen. "So Hikari Netto has displayed an emotion that is entirely out of character for him. This is quite troubling indeed..." Enzan stared at his commander through the transmission, wondering what he was thinking. "How do we know he's not a danger to the others in this state?"

"Sir, you have to believe me when I say he isn't;" Enzan protested, almost immediately after the head had said that, "I have reason to believe that this was only a temporary reaction caused by seeing his mother hurt."

"I'm not disputing that fact, since it's an understandable reason;" the head replied, "But I'm wondering if this was only a one-time reaction? Will this happen again? And what happens if it does?"

The boy could not think up a reply to that as the head sighed. "Look, it's been a long day for everyone. Right now, I'm going to just say this was an overreaction on his part...however, if this comes up again, I'll have no choice but to look into it extensively, you hear me?"

"Yes sir." Enzan said in a resigned tone.

"Furthermore, I'm extending your mission of watching over him, only this time, I'm giving you full jurisdiction over what to do. You only have to report when I need you to, but otherwise, everything is your call." the head finished.

Enzan blinked in surprise. "Why are you giving this mission to me, sir?" he asked, leaving the real question unspoken.

The head smirked. "Because I know that you're also worried, and you're going to do your best because of it."

Enzan gave him a small smile. "Thank you, sir."

The man chuckled before getting serious again. "I also have some news about Forte that you might want to hear..."

---

"_Yuuichirou, don't worry, I'm fine. All I have are some burns, that's all._" came Haruka's voice over the phone.

"I know, but you're still hurt. I should have been there..." Yuuichirou responded, still feeling depressed. While everything was happening in the city, he was stuck in the Science Labs working. It pained him to think that while his wife was hurt, he was stuck where he was. While Haruka only had minor injuries, it didn't take away from the fact that he couldn't be there.

"_Please don't beat yourself up over this. Events like this happen too suddenly to know what to do._" Haruka said.

Yuuichirou sighed, but conceded. "Well, one good thing is that I'll be able to come home today." he said, changing the subject of the conversation.

"_Really? That's great!_" Haruka said on the other end, "_I know Netto will be happy, especially given what happened during the whole ordeal..._"

The scientist then looked alarmed. "What? What happened to Netto?" he asked quickly.

"_Well..._" Haruka hesitated before going on, "_I didn't see it myself since I was in pain, but from what Meiru has told me...he became different. That's the only thing she said._" she murmured.

"I see;" he said stiffly. If anything, it only strengthened his resolve. "Well, I also have something else to tell you. I know how I can fix the link between Rockman and Netto."

"_Yuuichirou..._" she said reluctantly, "_I know that the two of them want the link back, but think about it for a second. What do you think Netto's reaction will be if you approach him with this?_"

The scientist looked thoughtful for a few seconds before replying; "I know it might be a risk, but I still have to ask him;" he said before looking at his clock. "In any case, my break is almost up. I'll see you in the morning, honey!" he said quickly.

"_Yuuichirou, wait-_" Haruka said before he hung up. He hated having to leave her hanging like that, but he was resolved in what he was going to do. He knew full well by what Haruka said Netto was acting like; it meant that the link between him and Forte was having a bad effect on the boy.

As he turned back to his computer, he noticed that he had some new e-mail. "Hm, wonder what this could be..." he murmured absently as he opened it. His eyes widened when he read the subject line, as he then started reading in earnest.

"Dr. Hikari," he read, "For the past few months, we have been receiving reports about your son and the navi Forte. Originally, we wanted you to get your son to consent to bringing Forte in so his programming may be studied. However, after reading all reports from Ijuin Enzan numerous times, and after several days of intense discussion, we have decided not to pursue our original plan;" Yuuichirou blinked in surprise as he read over the passage again before continuing; "Your son has proven himself as someone we can trust. We shall leave both him and Forte alone. However, do note that if anything comes up regarding the two in the future, we may have to revert to our original plan." the letter finished. Yuuichirou found all of the head scientist's names signed on it and laid back in his chair, thinking.

"Do the scientists really trust my son so much, or did they just get tired of waiting?" he asked himself as he looked at a stack of papers to the side of his desk. He then sighed.

"Well, I already told myself that I'm going to try. Hopefully, he'll listen to reason..." he told himself as he started to gather his papers. "His link with Forte...he has to break it for his own good, or else I fear what will happen to him."

---

Netto groaned as he rose from his bed, still feeling tired. He was grateful that he was able to sleep through the night without any more nightmares tormenting him, but his body still felt tired. "All I want to do is sleep right now..." he moaned, laying back down on the bed.

Rockman chuckled a bit before speaking up. "Sorry Netto-kun, it's already past noon. You have to get up."

"Make me." came the answer. Forte sighed in exasperation.

"Look, you got an e-mail from one of your friends. Especially since it was sent a few hours ago." the cloaked navi grumbled. Netto, looking curious, slipped out of bed and sat down at his computer, opening the e-mail he had just received.

"Huh...Meiru wants me to go to Endo with her," Netto said as he read the message, "With my other friends too. She says I could use the break..."

The blue navi looked thoughtful. "Why not? We don't have anything else to do today, plus it would be an interesting excursion."

"Should I?" Netto asked the two navis, "I mean, given what happened yesterday..."

"If you ask me, she's doing this so you'll get your mind off it." Forte replied dryly. Netto blushed a bit before nodding.

"Alright, sounds fun. Tell her that she and the others can meet me in front of our house around three." he said. Rockman nodded and linked into the computer, off to Meiru's computer.

Netto then looked over at the cloaked navi. "You okay with this, Forte?"

The navi shrugged. "Fine by me. Just as long as you're brooding over what happened."

The brunette smiled at Forte. "Thanks..."

A few hours passed as Netto was getting ready. Haruka was out doing errands, so he wrote a note explaining where he would be. After doing some chores around the house, he started getting his things together for the trip to Endo.

Looking in his closet, the brunette stared at the clothing hanging up on a hanger and grinned. _Why not?_ he thought, _It's been a while since I've worn it._ Grabbing the cloth, he pulled it off the rack and put it on as he remembered it. Looking in the mirror, he smiled. _Just like before..._

Inside his PET, Rockman gaped at his operator, who was now wearing a light brown cloak similar to Forte's. "Wow. You look remarkably like Forte..." he said, awed. Netto grinned.

"Forte called me a cheap copy of himself when I first dressed like this." he chuckled. Forte huffed in his PET.

"That's because you did look like one," he grumbled. Both Netto and Rockman laughed as he said that, and eventually, he gave Netto a small smile. "So, we ready to go now?" he asked as Netto grabbed both PETs and connected them to his waist.

"Almost, just have to wait for Meiru and the others to get here-" Netto started before there was a knock at the door. Smiling, the brunette rushed downstairs and to the front door, flinging it open to reveal his friend's faces. "Guys!"

Meiru smiled back at him. "You ready to go?" she asked. Netto nodded as Dekao cheered.

"I can't wait to try out the food there! I hear it's delicious!" he said. Yaito nodded her head in agreement, looking just as excited as Dekao.

"I want to bring back lots of souvenirs for my collection. Maybe I'll even find some new fans!" she squealed excitedly. Netto chuckled, and as he was about to head out, he heard a voice behind him.

"Netto?" The brunette turned around to see Yuuichirou staring at him curiously. Netto's eyes widened.

"Papa, when did you get home?" he asked in surprise. Yuuichirou chuckled.

"A few minutes ago;" he answered. Netto supposed that he must have arrived while he was busy getting his things ready, but then the scientist cleared his throat. "Can I talk to you, Netto?"

The boy had the feeling whatever they were going to talk about wasn't good, he turned around to look at his friends. "Go ahead onto the metroline, and to Endo if you catch the train. I'll be there in a bit." he said.

"Are you sure?" Meiru asked. When Netto nodded, she sighed. "Alright then. We'll go on without you, but we'll be waiting by the metroline at Endo, alright?" she said before walking off with the other two. Netto sighed and turned back to his father.

"What do you want to talk about, Papa?" he asked curiously. Yuuichirou motioned to go into the living room, where they both sat down.

"Well..." the scientist began, looking somewhat reluctant, "I heard about what happened yesterday. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help Haruka." he started, looking forlorn.

Netto sighed. "It's alright Papa. Everything just happened so suddenly, so it's not your fault." he said, trying to put yesterday out of his mind.

"Regardless...I'm glad the both of you are alright;" he said before gathering his nerves and get to the real subject. "Now, Netto...I have to talk to you about the link."

Netto blinked. "The link? Between me and Forte?" he asked. Yuuichirou shook his head.

"No, the one between you and Rockman;" he replied before sighing. "I might have found a way to repair it. It would involve a lot of testing and experiments at the Science Labs, but it would work."

The boy gasped before he slightly narrowed his eyes. Something about it didn't seem right. "Really Papa?"

Yuuichirou nodded. "Indeed. It might take a bit, but I am certain that I can restore the link."

Netto stayed silent for a few minutes, just staring at his father before speaking up. "And what about my link with Forte?" he asked quietly, looking at the black PET. Both navis were now paying attention to Yuuichirou's every word.

The scientist grimaced. "Well..." he started, "I've noticed that your link to Forte is pretty much the same as the one you used to have with Rockman. I can tweak the code to restore your link with Rockman, but since have two of the same code is potentially dangerous..."

Netto abruptly cut him off. "You want me to cut my link with Forte." he finished, already seeing where his father was going. He heard Forte shift angrily from where he was, but otherwise did nothing.

Yuuichirou flinched before nodding. "To put it bluntly, yes. To restore the link to Rockman, I'll have to sever the link to Forte. It's the only way."

Netto bristled in anger before standing up. "No." he said boldly.

"Netto!" Yuuichirou said, "Think about it! Your link to Forte is harming you! I've heard about what you have been going through, and all of it can be traced back to that link!"

"And what? You want me to put one of them over the other? No way!" Netto retorted.

"I'm not saying that, I'm saying that the link with Forte is detrimental to your health." Yuuichirou explained to his son.

Netto shook his head. "That's not what you're saying, and you know it. You want me to put Rockman above Forte by reconnecting the link." he said hotly. He felt himself getting angry at his father for even suggesting the severing of the link. Both navis could only watch in stunned silence as both father and son argued with each other.

The scientist sighed in exasperation. "Netto, please. The link needs to be restored with Rockman."

"Yes it does," Netto agreed, "But not this way. I am not going to sacrifice my link to Forte for that purpose. Both of them are important to me!" The anger that he was feeling before seemed to double. How dare his father suggest that Forte wasn't as important? He was!

"Netto..." Yuuichirou growled. Why wasn't his son listening to reason? "Haven't you realized that you're harming yourself by the link with Forte and his memories? It's because they're so dangerous that it's having a negative effect on your mind!"

"They are not!" Netto growled back, "And just for your information, I'd gladly suffer through any pain or hardship for my partners. I will never abandon them."

"Listen to me!" Yuuichirou exclaimed, slamming his hands down onto the table. His patience had run out. "Netto, I'm your father, and I don't want to see you suffer for no reason. It's because of that fact that I'm telling you that you must sever your link with Forte!"

At that comment, Netto's anger reached his peak as his eyes narrowed and turned cold again, letting out a mocking laugh. Yuuichirou just stared at his son as he laughed, confused. "Netto?"

Netto stopped laughing and glared at his father, who unconsciously shivered from how icy it was. "Don't make me laugh...you? A father?" he chuckled. The scientist's eyes widened in shock.

"Netto!" he gasped.

"A father is there for his child when they need help the most," the boy went on, not letting his gaze drift from Yuuichirou, "A father does their best to understand their child. You have done neither." he explained icily.

"What are you talking about?" Yuuichirou asked, trying to shake off the foreboding feeling in his legs.

Netto laughed. "What am I talking about? I'm merely saying that it was foolish of you to even try to pull the father card on me," he growled out, "Since when have you ever been there for me when I've really needed you, other than nothing short of a global crisis?"

Yuuichirou was stunned. Why was his son saying these things? "Netto...I..." The scientist tried to say something, anything, but nothing came out at all. Netto only smirked at him.

"Exactly." he hissed.

"Netto-kun! Please, stop it!" Rockman cried from his place. However, Netto ignored him as he continued to verbally attack Yuuichirou.

"I would take a good look at what you have been doing before you even try to pull that argument against me;" Netto said, "You may be my father, yet you don't know me at all. But hey, you haven't been there for most of my life, so I guess that's understandable." he said as he shrugged.

Those words seemed to strike Yuuichirou as if he had been hit physically. "Netto, I have been there! Don't you remember?" he asked quietly, his legs feeling weak.

Netto snorted as he turned around. "No, and I don't care enough to remember either;" he said as he turned around. "I'm going to Endo now. I don't want to see your face right now." he muttered as he swept out of the room, slamming the front door behind him.

"Netto!" Yuuichirou cried as the boy exited, although it went unheard. For several minutes, the only sound present in the empty house was the scientist's heavy breathing, still staring at the spot where Netto was standing only minutes earlier. Finally, he collapsed back onto the couch, still in shock.

"I'm...a bad father?" he asked himself as he stared up at the ceiling. He would definitely need to talk with Haruka when she got home.

---

"Netto-kun!" Rockman yelled as the brunette was making his way down to the metroline. He was still mumbling angrily as he made his way down the streets. "Please, calm down!"

"How dare he..." Netto murmured to himself, his anger still present.

"Calm down!" Forte's voice boomed.

"Really, what does he know?" the brunette continued as he reached the outside of the metroline.

"Netto-kun!" both navis yelled at the same time.

"What!" he snarled as he looked at the two navis, but his eyes softened as he looked at their concerned faces.

"Are you calmed down yet?" Forte asked softly.

Netto sighed. "Sorry about that. I just got beyond angry..."

Rockman gave him a small smile. "It's understandable, but still..." he murmured, "Those comments towards Papa were harsh."

"I know that, and I regret saying them;" Netto said sadly, "But it's like every little thing that I've held against him for several years just came bursting out. I couldn't hold myself back..." The brunette then sighed. "He still had no right in saying that I should cut my link with Forte."

"Papa is worried about you, Netto-kun;" Rockman said, "But I agree that he didn't have to suggest that. There's always another way, isn't there?"

Forte sighed. "You're going to have to talk with him again soon. This isn't just going to blow over."

Netto nodded. "You're right. But I just need some time to think, you know? I know he needs to think over what I said..." he muttered softly, "Because although a lot of what I said was fueled by anger, doesn't mean I didn't mean most of it."

"Netto-kun..." Forte murmured.

The brunette shook his head. "Come on. Our friends are waiting for us at Endo, so let's get going. I need to get my mind off things." Both navis reluctantly nodded, each lost within their own thoughts.

"Try to take it easy from now on, okay?" Rockman asked his operator. Netto smiled and nodded at him.

"I'll try, can't promise anything though." he chuckled as he entered the station. Rockman gave him a shaky smile back before returning to his own thoughts.

_To think that my memories have influenced him in this manner... _Forte thought, trying to find some way to help his operator. _I want to help him. I have to. I'm not going to break my promise._ His thoughts left off as Netto boarded the train headed to Endo City, ready to see his friends.

---

**Next Chapter:** _To the Limit_: While Netto and company enjoy themselves in Endo City, Haruka and Yuuichirou talk things over. When both meet again, can the two figure out where to go from there? And as Forte finally starts learning to enjoy himself, the crisis in the Ura Net makes itself known.

---

**Author's Note:** Well, seems like we're about to hit the main, and final, part of Affinity. Everything is going as planned!

Well, I don't have much to say here except that finals are around the corner and I wanted to get this out before concentrating on them. As soon as they're done, however, I'm going to be concentrating on this, so don't you worry.


	9. To the Limit

Netto leaned back into his seat and looked at the roof of the car he was in, sighing. The metroline was currently in transit to Endo City, and the ride was long enough for him to think over what just happened. Both of his navis were silent for the most part during the ride, only looking at him worriedly. The boy couldn't blame them, after all, he just exploded at his father.

Looking at the dim lights as the train passed through a tunnel, he closed his eyes. _Now what am I going to do?_ he thought sadly. _I shouldn't have shot off like that. I shouldn't have gotten so angry..._ At that moment, the train exited the tunnel, and Netto saw Endo Castle in the distance. He would be there shortly.

Gazing at the castle for a few moments, the brunette got lost in thoughts once again. _Papa should have never said that stuff, though. Give up my link to Forte? How could he even think of something like that? And what made him think that I would even go through with it, at that? It's insane!_ Sighing again, he turned his attention to the PETs on his belt. _How could he think that I would just abandon one of my friends? I may want the link with Rockman back, but to sacrifice one for the other? I can't do that! If he knew me, then he wouldn't have even bothered bringing it up._

Upon that thought, Netto stiffened and a hard look came to his face. _That's right...if he knew me. He doesn't though...not in the way he thinks._ Netto growled softly to himself. Even after several years, the hurt never went away.

Rockman, hearing Netto growl, looked up at his operator and frowned. "Netto-kun!" he called, snapping the boy out of his daze. The brunette blinked and looked down at the blue PET. "Are you alright?" the blue navi asked in concern.

Netto ran a hand through his hair, letting out a breath. "Kinda. I'm just really shaken up about this whole thing."

"You're thinking on what to say to your father when you get back, aren't you?" Forte interjected. Netto nodded, and the cloaked navi crossed his arms, also frowning. "Netto-kun, just drop it for now. There is no use in stressing yourself out about this. What's done is done." he said simply. Rockman nodded, but Netto looked uncertain.

"Still..." the brunette started, looking worried, "I shouldn't have gone off like I did on Papa. I went too far." he muttered.

Forte only stared at Netto for a few moments before sighing. "Regardless of whether or not you went too far, it needed to be let out, especially concerning everything that just happened." he said quietly.

"But yelling at Papa? That doesn't seem to fix anything at all. It only makes it worse." he sighed.

The cloaked navi shook his head. "Stop blaming yourself. I know you knew that one day, it would probably come to this. It just happened now, and it's already happened. So stop beating yourself up over it!" he urged. Rockman blinked as the argument kept going back and forth, with Netto speaking again.

"I still shouldn't have lost control over my emotions like that!" he exclaimed.

"You've been holding everything you've wanted to say to him in for several years." came Forte's rebuttal. Netto looked down sadly while Rockman looked at the brunette, eyes wide.

"Netto-kun, is Forte...is he telling the truth?" he asked in disbelief. When there was no answer, Rockman felt himself get angry. "Why couldn't you tell me before!" he raged.

Netto sighed. "Rockman, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but..." he said before looking at the blue navi. "I wanted to tell you, but every time I tried, I just couldn't get the words out. I know what Papa is doing is for a good cause, and I know he would be away from us for a long time;" Netto then frowned sadly. "But that still doesn't take away the hurt each time I just want to be there with him, and he just works. Deep down, some part of me wants to hate him because he missed a large part of my growing up due to his work, but I can't and won't bring myself to do that." he finished.

Rockman stayed silent before sighing. "I just wish you could trust me to tell me this, Netto-kun. How do you think it makes me feel hearing that you've been harboring this for years?" he asked, an angry undertone accompanying his voice.

The brunette shook his head. "Rockman, again, I'm sorry. This is the only thing I haven't shared with you, because I didn't know how to talk about it. I thought it was just easier to keep it to myself..." Sighing, he leaned back. "Regardless, I know that after this, Papa and I are going to have a long talk."

Rockman bit his lip and just nodded. "Alright. But you better not hide something like this from me again. That's what I'm here for!" he said. He was angrier than that, he supposed, but Netto didn't need it right now and he did say he was sorry. Plus, there was the little fact that he himself had also hid that he was his brother all along that silenced him.

Looking up, Netto noticed the train starting to slow down. "Huh. Didn't know that we were almost there," he commented as he started to double check that everything was where it was supposed to be. "Guess time flies when you're thinking over stuff, huh?"

"I guess." came Forte's curt reply. Netto sighed. It seemed that both of his navis were mad at him for the same reason. He couldn't blame them, seeing as how he kept some very big things hidden from them.

Rockman took a deep breath and smiled, although it seemed a bit forced. "Well, let's try to enjoy ourselves, right? It's not going to do any good thinking about what happened, or what's about to happen. We're here to have fun, so let's just put everything behind us for the night and just enjoy the company of our friends, okay?"

Forte grunted, which Rockman interpreted as a confirmation, while Netto just gave the navi a small smile. "Thank you, Rockman." Rockman gave him a smile back.

The train came to a halt, and Netto exited it and climbed the stairs into the sunlight. Immediately, the smell of various food wafted in the air, which made his stomach rumble. Just as he was beginning to walk out of the vicinity of the station, he heard someone calling.

"Netto!" came Meiru's voice as she ran over to him. When she stopped in front of him, she looked over his attire in confusion, having not gotten a good enough look before when they left his house. "Wow, you look just like..." she sputtered, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Netto heard Forte chuckling from his PET, and he couldn't help but chuckle as well. "You're not the only one to think that, and probably won't be the last either;" he said in amusement. "So, where are Dekao and Yaito?"

Meiru giggled and took Netto's arm, leading him to a ramen stand off in the corner. "Well, since you took a bit to get here, they decided to get lunch already. Come on, I'll show you where they are."

Netto smiled and allowed himself to be led off.

----

Yuuichirou groaned as he laid his head on his arms while he sat at the kitchen counter. It had been a few hours since he confronted his son, and things had gone drastically awry. He had never expected his son to say things like that to him.

Haruka, meanwhile, had arrived home to see her husband in a state of depression, and could only guess as to what had happened. Preferring to give Yuuichirou time to think on it, she headed into the kitchen to start preparing an early dinner. Normally, she would immediately ask what was wrong and do her best to try and resolve the problem with the person, but this time, her husband looked like he needed time to dwell on it. She was certain that he would come forward eventually, anyway.

Sighing, she brought over the hot plate to the counter and placed it in front of Yuuichirou. "Dinner's ready." she said, smiling softly. Blinking, the scientist looked up at his wife, and took the plate graciously.

"Ah, thanks honey;" he said as he took a bite of the food and smiled. "It's just as good as ever!"

Haruka smiled and also sat down to enjoy her dinner. She proceeded to tell Yuuichirou about how her day went, from what she saw to all the interesting encounters and conversations she had. The scientist listened in silence and nodded, appearing distracted. Sighing, the woman decided to get straight to the point.

"Honey, what happened? It's usually not like you to be so depressed like this." she started, moving her plate to the side. Yuuichirou stared at her and also sighed, looking downcast.

"Well...I..." he stuttered, apparently trying to find what to ask. Taking a deep breath, he finally decided on what to say. "Haruka, do you think I'm a bad father?"

The woman blinked at the sudden question. "What brought this on all of a sudden?" When her husband looked away, she frowned. "Please, tell me what happened."

Yuuichirou sighed. "I confronted Netto about the link today before he left with his friends," he said lowly, "It didn't go as I thought it would."

Haruka rubbed her temples and bit back a long sigh. That explained his behavior. "And I take it Netto refused?"

The scientist could only nod. "Not only did he refuse, but we got into a rather heated argument. It got to the point where he said that I haven't even been a father for him. I've never seen him so mad before..."

Pursing her lips together, Haruka looked thoughtful. "I think confronting him wasn't exactly the best thing to do, to be honest;" she said. When Yuuichirou looked at her in surprise, she decided to elaborate. "Both of us know that Netto would never abandon his friends for anything, more than anyone else probably."

"Still..." the scientist started, "Why did he get so angry over this whole issue with the link? He wouldn't be abandoning Forte, far from it actually."

The woman shook her head. "Whatever your intentions, Netto didn't see it that way, apparently. From what you said, I think he saw it as something that would make him place one of his friends over the other. And I don't think he could do that;" Haruka then sighed. "I think we've both been underestimating the bond between both him and Forte. I think Rockman knew what has been going on and has only started to get along with him."

Yuuichirou looked thoughtful. "I guess I did make a huge mistake. I should have seen this coming." he muttered.

"It's not your fault. I didn't expect them to be as close as they are either." came the reply. The scientist then looked pained.

"But it still doesn't answer my earlier question. Am I really that much of a bad father?" he asked his wife.

Haruka sighed, wondering how to approach the question. "No, you aren't. And Netto knows you aren't either," she started, taking his hand into hers, "But I think he still feels bitter about all the things you missed out on earlier in his life, and it's all just coming forward right now." she finished.

Yuuichirou shook his head, surprised. "I didn't think he would be the type to be bitter about the past." he said softly.

"He's just frustrated with everything that's gone on recently," Haruka explained, lightly rubbing the area where she was burned. It was healing nicely now, but it was still irritable. "Although I do think that you could have made more of an effort to be with him during those times, what's done is done. All we can do now is to look towards the future." she said gently.

"It still hurts to think that he's been holding all of this in." he muttered.

Haruka sighed and nodded. "Indeed. He's still a child, yet look at everything that has happened to him for the past year or two," she said before smiling, "I think we both need to take the time to get to know him again. There have been some changes in him that I don't know about, and I need to make the effort to understand my son again, don't you agree?"

Yuuichirou stayed silent for a few minutes, apparently thinking. Finally, he nodded. "You're right...I guess I don't understand him as much as I thought I did," he said, "So when he gets back, I'm going to talk to him as a father, not as a scientist. It's what I should have been doing all along."

Haruka beamed at her husband. It seemed things would finally get better.

---

Netto chuckled. "You really did that, Dekao?"

The larger boy nodded fervently. "Yeah, you should have seen everyone in the teacher's lounge! It was hilarious!"

The brunette couldn't help but laugh. Dekao's pranks were often funny, if not a little bit mean-spirited.

Currently, the four were making their way to Endo Castle, having already eaten and bought some souvenirs. As he expected, both Dekao and Yaito were gawking at Netto's outfit, and he just smiled and ate his ramen. As they were walking to the castle, they engaged in small talk, with Meiru and Yaito talking about stuff they saw at the shops, and Dekao telling Netto about the pranks he did while the brunette was confined to the house.

"I'll bet that they weren't very happy, were they?" he asked in amusement, and he chuckled again when Dekao groaned.

"You got that right," he said, "I got detention for a week and I have to clean the classroom for a month. So unfair!" he moaned.

Yaito made a huffing sound, but didn't say anything, and Meiru only giggled before looking forward. "Oh look, we're here!" she said as she pointed to the entrance of the castle. Netto nodded, and after they all paid for admission, the four found themselves inside the giant foyer, looking at all the artifacts and ancient scrolls.

Netto grinned and looked at both of his navis, "Since you guys are going to want to get somewhere, I'm going to plug you into the castle system, alright?" To make his point known, the brunette glanced over to a panel into a wall, which allowed people to plug in their navis so they could go exploring around the castle on their own. It was something that was just unveiled at the castle, and it was under constant security to prevent another attack by terrorist organizations.

Rockman nodded. "Sounds like fun, right Forte?" he asked his companion. Forte shrugged.

"Sure, as long as wandering around isn't the only thing we'll do." he muttered. Netto chuckled and plugged them into the castle system, his friends following suit. Once everyone was inside the system, Netto spoke up.

"I'm keeping communication open on the PETs, so if you need me, you know what to do." he said. Both navis nodded, and with another smile, Netto walked off with his friends to tour the massive castle.

As they watched Netto leave, Forte turned around to see three hesitant navis look at him. There was a few moments of silence before Roll took a deep breath and came forward.

"Well, we didn't really have time for an introduction when we were fighting in that computer a few days ago, but I already know who you are. My name is Roll, nice to meet you Forte!" she said cheerfully.

"And my name is Glyde. I am Yaito-sama's navi." the brown navi said before he bowed. Forte blinked at the two, trying to decide which one was weirder.

That was until the larger navi of the three came forward. "I'm Gutsman!" he said gruffly, holding out one of his huge hands. "Let's netbattle sometime!"

The cloaked navi smirked and took the hand to shake it, and noted the pale look that came across Gutsman's face. "Sure. I always do need to warm-up, after all." he snickered.

"Eh heh...maybe some other time...!" Gutsman nervously said before backing away. Just that simple hand gesture from Forte held power that frightened him.

Rockman chuckled. Gutsman actually backing away from a challenge was something not commonly seen. "So, should we look around?" he offered, trying to break the awkward meeting between the group. After everyone nodded and murmured, they took off into the network.

---

"Ooh, isn't this sword really neat, Netto?" Meiru asked as she leaned in to get a closer look at it. When the brunette didn't respond, she looked back. "Netto?"

Netto blinked and looked up. "Huh? Oh!" he said as he looked at the sword. "Yeah, it does!"

Meiru slightly frowned. "Is anything wrong, Netto?" she asked softly. Netto shook his head.

"No, nothing is wrong," he lied, "I'm just a bit distracted...maybe because I'm sleepy." he laughed. Meiru gave him a fixed stare before giggling.

"Well, I'll take your word for it then;" she said before she took his arm and guided him over to the armor exhibits, where Dekao and Yaito were looking at. Along the way she whispered in his ear, "Please don't overexert yourself..."

The brunette blinked before giving her a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't."

---

The navis were wandering the network, admiring the replicas of the armor and swords that were programmed into the system. Many navis were conversing with each other and looking over history files on the items in question. Currently, Rockman and the others were looking at an exhibit detailing the last emperor who held Endo Castle, way back before the government was established. All of them were listening in rapt attention.

Well, all except one.

Forte could never remember in his whole lifetime being so bored. Tearing his eyes away from the image of the emperor, he grumbled as he looked around. The entire system closely resembled the outside world, with obvious differences here and there. Shaking his head, he silently walked off from the group to take a better look at the place.

"At least now I know why Netto-kun doesn't like watching informative movies," he groaned as made his way around. As he passed a passageway and a board, he noticed a blinking notice on the message board. Looking closer at it, he smiled. "Well, doesn't this sound like fun...?"

"Forte!" came a shout as the cloaked navi looked over his shoulder. Rockman was walking towards him, with the other three tagging not far behind him. "I was wondering where you went off to. That info about the emperor was intriguing..."

"Never mind that;" Forte waved off impatiently as he pointed to the sign behind him, "Look at this. You up to it, Rockman?" The blue navi looked at the sign and blinked before turning back to his companion.

"Well, I don't know..." he started.

The cloaked navi snorted. "Oh come on. I mean, we're not going to be able to do this very often, so we might as well, right?"

Roll looked at the sign and giggled. "You should Rockman! It'll be exciting!" Glyde and Gutsman nodded, also looking interested.

Rockman looked thoughtful for a few seconds. He was in the mood to do something other than look at exhibits all day, and Forte was right in the fact that they wouldn't have the chance to do this too often. Finally, he nodded and turned to Forte. "Alright, let's do it then." he said. Forte smirked and entered the passageway, Rockman not far behind him.

Glyde then cleared his throat. "Well then, let us follow them, shall we?" he remarked. The other two nodded as they started to make their way down the passageway.

Gutsman chuckled. "This is going to be good!"

The sign outside read 'Sparring matches for those who know the way of the sword available here!'

A few moments later found the instructor navi handing two wooden bokken to the navis. Normally, he would question if they were able to fight using them, but just at a glance, he could tell they were skilled enough by the way they carried themselves.

Roll, Gutsman, and Glyde sat off to the side to watch the two. Forte gave his bokken an experimental swing before getting himself ready. Rockman mirrored the cloaked navi's actions, bringing the bokken in a ready position in front of him. Both of their adrenaline was surging, even though this was only a simple sparring session. Rockman didn't know why he felt so eager to just fight against his companion; any other time he would dread it, but right now, he wanted to test his skills against his former enemy.

The instructor navi looked at both navis, then raised his hand. "This is a simple sparring session, so don't get carried away. The first one to get hit by a strike is the loser, agreed?" Both navis nodded, then the instructor walked off the floor so as not to get in the way. "Alright then...begin!" he shouted as he brought his hand down, signaling for both of them to start. Forte didn't waste any time as he shot forward, bringing down his bokken in an overhead strike. Rockman blocked it and pushed back, parrying the blow.

Both Forte and Rockman smirked. It was time to see who was better.

---

"Dr. Regal!" came a frantic voice over the computer screen. The scientist put down his documents in surprise as he stared at the screen.

"What is it?" he asked quickly.

The other scientist looked panicked, as if something horrifying had happened. "Sir, the chaos throughout the entire Ura Net...it's starting to spread into the Internet!"

Dr. Regal stood up, now fully startled. "No! If it spreads into the Internet itself..." he said before looking at the monitor. "Quickly, set up firewalls and safeguards around Endo area and do your best to contain it. I'll be there as fast I can!" he said as he started to gather his things.

"Yes, Dr. Regal!" the other scientist said before cutting off the transmission.

The dark haired scientist sighed as he rushed out the door. "Of all the times this had to happen...I'd better contact Yuuichirou." he muttered.

---

"What's happening?" Yuuichirou asked in disbelief over the phone. It was now nearing the evening as the scientist tried to think of what to say to his son.

He heard Regal sigh audibly over the phone. "_Exactly what I'm telling you. It seems that whatever was controlling the chaotic energy in the Ura Net has finally run out of patience and is making its move._"

Yuuichirou frowned. "How is everything holding up?"

"_Fine for now, but it's not going to stay that way. We're going to need your help soon._" came the reply. The scientist frowned. Things were looking bad.

"How long do you think you can hold out without me?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"_I predict around a whole day or so, mainly because it hasn't fully penetrated into the area yet,_" Regal said. "_Why, though?_"

Yuuichirou sighed. "Forgive me, Regal. I can't come in right now due to some complications. I'll try to make it there as fast as possible, but you're going to have to hold out without me for the time being."

"_I see...I'll do my best._" Regal said. The scientist sighed in relief as he then gave his next request.

"Regal, could you get the resistance program that I created ready? Something tells me we're going to need his help." he asked.

"_The resistance program?_" Regal repeated, "_You're planning on bringing your own son into this?_"

Yuuichirou grimaced. "Only if we cannot seal off the source ourselves. He might be the only one who can do it."

There was a long pause over the phone. "_Very well then, but I really hope you know what you're doing Yuuichirou. I'll do my best to hold the energy from entering the Internet, but I can only do so much...I'll be waiting for you._" With that, Regal hung up.

The brown haired scientist could only hang up the phone and sigh. "Netto, forgive me. You might be dragged into something again against your will..."

---

Forte felt exhilarated. Every strike, every blow, every precise movement of his was being countered by his former enemy. Of course, Rockman had not landed any strikes of his own either; they were too evenly matched.

The cloaked navi was surprised that he wasn't annoyed or angered in the least. In fact, he was oddly pleased with the fact that he was having such an exciting fight without having to use his full power. Smirking, he brought the bokken in front of him and held it with both hands this time, trying to find an opening in Rockman's defense.

Likewise, Rockman also found himself having a good time. Fighting Forte in a battle that was neither personal or to the death was oddly thrilling, and instead of just fighting to survive, he was fighting to see who could best who.

The two stared at each other for another moment before they both rushed forward, intending on striking the other. Roll, Gutsman, and Glyde looked on in anticipation as both Rockman and Forte moved to strike each other.

The two bokken came down, one in a overhead slash while the other was in a swiping motion.

"Hold!" came the instructor's voice. Everyone stopped to look at him, then at the two sparring navis. When they got a closer look, they saw that Rockman was poised to hit Forte's shoulder, while Forte was about to hit Rockman's unprotected side. "It seems you both were about to hit each other at the same time. A stalemate, I presume."

Slowly, both navis lowered their weapons and set them on the floor. Both of them stared at each other silently until Rockman offered his hand. "Good match?" he asked.

Forte stared at the hand for a moment before he let off a loud laugh. The blue navi stared in shock; the laugh wasn't malicious at all...in fact, he sounded genuinely happy. "Well met, Rockman! I haven't felt like this for years!" Forte laughed as he grasped Rockman's hand.

Shaking out of his shock, Rockman laughed as well, shaking Forte's hand. "Heh, I guess that was quite a match, huh? Maybe we should do it more often..."

Forte grinned. "Maybe."

At that moment, Roll and the others came running over. "That was quite some sparring session," she said in awe, "I can't believe you two were so fast!"

Glyde nodded. "That was really quite splendid!" he said.

Gutsman couldn't find anything to say, as he was still reviewing the whole session in his head. He may be physically stronger than both of the two navis, but their speed was far too much for him. He would have to work on that in the future.

Forte chuckled. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he was just enjoying himself. It was an odd feeling, but he decided it was a pleasant one.

Roll then clapped her hands together. "It's starting to get late, so I think we should start heading back, don't you?" Everyone nodded, as they made their way out of the sparring area.

As they were leaving, Rockman suddenly felt a chill throughout his entire body. _This feeling..._ he thought, recognizing it as one that he had felt so long ago whenever he journeyed into the Ura Net. _What is it?_

He was about to mention it to the cloaked navi when he caught the smile on his face. _...no, I'm probably just being paranoid. There is no need to spoil his fun right now._ Rockman then chuckled then continued walking with the others towards the exit.

---

After Netto and the others returned after touring the castle, they immediately linked their navis back into their PETs. The brunette immediately noticed that Forte looked content, and wasn't in his usual mood. "What did you guys do while we were gone?" he asked curiously.

"Just a little sparring session. It was refreshing." came Forte's reply. Netto just chuckled and shrugged.

"Well, at least you two had a good time, huh?" he remarked, and both navis nodded. Letting out a yawn, he and his friends exited the castle. "You think it's time to get going, everyone?"

There was a collective nod. "I think the metroline is going to leave in twenty minutes, so we might make it in time if we start walking now." Yaito spoke up, looking at the schedule. With some muttering, all of them set off towards the station, admiring the rising moon as it shone in the clear night sky.

"Ah, today was wonderful, don't you agree?" Meiru spoke up, looking up at the moon. Everyone made murmurs of agreement.

Netto smiled. "I wish we could have more days like this, where we could just hang out with each other all day." he remarked.

"If everyday was like that, you wouldn't even bother getting out of you bed to do anything, Netto-kun." Rockman replied dryly. Netto pouted while everyone laughed.

Dekao shrugged. "Well, we can always do this next weekend too. We can try going somewhere else, you know?"

Yaito pursed her lips in thought. "Sounds interesting! If my schedule allows for it, where would we go?" she asked.

As she and Dekao were busy discussing about plans for the next weekend trip, Meiru turned to Netto. "You seem a lot happier right now than you were a few hours ago." she remarked.

"Ah...you can say I'm just glad to go somewhere with my friends, you know?" he said. His childhood friend was always perceptive, so he had to choose his words carefully.

Meiru sighed. "I know the past few days must have been hard on you considering what had happened, but please, if you're just feeling down or anything else, you can always tell me." she smiled.

Netto grinned. "You know I always do," he said before they reached the station. "Ah, we should get inside, the metroline is already here!" he said as he rushed in.

The girl could only stare at Netto's retreating figure before sighing and following him. "But you're not telling me this time, Netto." she said softly as she descended into the station.

---

The ride home was entirely uneventful, and as soon as they got off, they all said their goodbyes and wandered off to each of their homes. Meiru said she had something to drop off at Yaito's before going home, and asked Netto just to go on without her.

Netto was standing at his front door, debating on whether to go in or retreat and think of something else. He bit his lip. "What should I do?"

Forte sighed. "Netto-kun, you have to get this over with. If you just keep running from it, you're only going to make it worse."

"Indeed," Rockman agreed, "It's not going to be good if you and Papa don't reconcile right now. Just talk to him and try to get him to understand your feelings, and vice versa."

The brunette took a deep breath, then nodded and opened the door. "I'm home!" he called out.

"Ah, Netto..." he heard his father's voice ring out. "I'm here in the living room. Come in here when you're ready to talk." he said.

Netto nodded to himself as he quickly went up to his room and placed his two PETs down on the desk. "No offense you two, but I kind of want to resolve this myself. After all, I was the one who did say those things, so I should be the one to take the consequences."

Both navis nodded, and the brunette made his way out of the room.

"He's definitely maturing." Rockman noted as he saw his brother leave, and Forte nodded.

The boy hesitantly entered the living room, seeing his father sitting down on the couch. "Ah, there you are. Please, sit down Netto." Yuuichirou said as he gestured to the seat opposite of the couch.

He took the seat and stared at his father as the scientist began to speak again. "Netto, about earlier today..."

"I'm sorry, Papa. I shouldn't have exploded like that." Netto immediately apologized, but Yuuichirou held up a hand.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't take into account your own feelings over the situation, and tried to force something else on you. Forgive me for that." he said.

Netto sighed. "It's alright. I still shouldn't have gone off like I did, though."

"Maybe, but...you did bring up some valid points;" the scientist said before sighing. "I guess we can start with how little time I've been spending around the house, huh?"

When Netto didn't speak up, Yuuichirou decided to continue. "I know what you're thinking. With a job such as mine, I hardly do get time off to come home. However...I should have made a better effort to be there for you earlier in your life;" He then chuckled. "I suppose I must have thought at the time that when I gave Rockman to you, you wouldn't need me around as much since you now had a friend with you. I don't know why I thought that, but still..."

"Papa, Rockman is my best friend, and nothing will change that;" Netto started, "Forte is also my best friend, and I don't care if that's a result of the link between us or not. Papa, I wanted you around so we could do stuff, just talk or do an activity or just do...something!" he blurted out before continuing. "I know you're always supporting me, and I know you're always behind me, but I hardly do get to see you at home. I mean, when is the last time we talked about stuff, between you and I, that wasn't about a new global crisis or anything?"

Yuuichirou looked pained. "I'm sorry, Netto. Nothing I say will change what I've done in the past...but I do want to try and correct those mistakes," he said as he stood up and knelt down to look his son in the face, "This time, I want to speak to you as a father would, not as a world famous scientist or anything like that. I realize that even with everything we've gone through, I haven't really gotten to know what has been happening with you. I want to make that effort now...I want to know who you are."

Netto remained silent for quite a while, just staring at the scientist. "Do you promise?" he asked quietly. Yuuichirou nodded.

"I promise." he said.

The boy gave him a small smile. "Good. Let's start with what I was doing today in Endo." he chuckled. Yuuichirou smiled warmly at his son and patted his head affectionately.

"Go ahead and tell me what happened today. I'm interested in hearing about it." Yuuichirou said as he settled on the couch.

Netto grinned and proceeded to tell him what had happened over the past few hours.

---

**Next Chapter:** _Into the Heart of Chaos_: The day after, Netto catches wind that the Ura Net is on the verge of destruction, and that the denizens of the dark are running amok on the surface. He, Forte, and Rockman, with both his father's and Dr. Regal's help, manage to penetrate the Ura Net to find out what is wrong. In the meantime, Netto's friends are doing their best to help out around the city, but can they beat back the oncoming hordes?

---

**Author's Notes:** Whee, this chapter was two months late. Go me.

Again, apologies to everyone for not getting this out sooner. I got caught up in finals, then took a few weeks off of writing because I needed the break. Since it was nearing the end of June, I decided to try and release a new chapter for you all. What better time to do it than my birthday?

Anyway, hope you all enjoy this. I'll try my best to get the next one out soon.


	10. Into the Heart of Chaos

It was a quiet morning at the Hikari household, where things from the previous day were just settling down. Netto was still asleep, content with the talk he had last night with his dad. Everything was well again, and the boy could literally feel something being lifted off his shoulders. The two navis were also resting within their PETs, tired from the events of the day.

However, not everything was as quiet as it seemed. Downstairs, Yuuichirou was on the phone, looking quite sullen. Haruka stood in the kitchen, an unreadable expression on her face as she watched her husband pale.

"...so nothing worked?" Yuuichirou asked, drumming his fingers on the counter to try and distract him. There was a grunt on the other side of the phone.

"_Nothing did. However, we are managing to hold back the energy from spreading any further,_" came the other person replied. The scientist held back a sigh; the damage was being contained, but how long would it last?

"How long do you think you can hold it back for, Regal?" he asked.

There was some silence on the other end before Regal sighed. "_Honestly? For half a day, at most. We're working all of our computers to keep the firewall up, but the energy that is pouring out from the Ura Net is incessant. At this rate, the security will overload in no time at all._"

"I see..." Yuuichirou murmured. "I guess it's come to this after all. I'll bring him as soon as he wakes up, and I'll brief him on the details along the way."

"_At this point, he'll probably be the only one to get in there and stop it. I have the program ready, all that remains is to install it inside Rockman_." Regal said. "_Oh, and Yuuichirou...while we may have stopped the spread of the chaotic energy, we cannot do a thing about the navis running amok. I've contacted the officials to try and stop all of the attacks that may happen during the day, so..._"

"Wait," the scientist said, looking confused, "What do you mean by attacks?"

"_Quite simply, the chaotic energy inside the Ura Net has infected any navi that was bathed in it;_" Regal responded, his voice weary. "_It has driven them into near insanity, and early reports from some officials say that they're attacking anything in their way. That's why the source of whatever is causing this has to be eliminated as soon as possible!_" came the voice on the other end, and Yuuichirou gulped. The entire situation had become much worse.

"Alright, I'll go get him. Make sure everything is prepared for when we arrive." he ordered and hung up the phone. Immediately, he plopped down in the nearest chair, giving an exasperated groan.

Haruka sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Netto has to fight again, doesn't he?" she asked softly. Yuuichirou nodded, and she sighed. Somehow, she had a foreboding feeling about this, given how things went over the past couple of months. "Why does it always come to this?"

Yuuichirou sighed again. "I don't know, but we both know that he has both the skill and the power to take out whatever it is. Enzan is going to have his hands full from what Regal said, and with most of the other officials either defending the city or out of the country..."

"It still doesn't make it any easier to see him go out like this," she murmured. At that moment, there were some footfalls from the stairway, and Netto came in, dressed in his usual attire plus his cloak. It seemed to Haruka that he was so tired that he fell asleep without bothering to change his clothes, from the way they were wrinkled.

"Morning," he mumbled, sitting down at the table and turning on the television. "What's for breakfast?"

The scientist gave a small smile to his son before clearing his throat. "Netto, there is something I need to tell you. It's very important, and I really need you to listen." he said seriously.

Netto blinked, obviously confused. "What do you mean, Papa?" he asked. Rockman and Forte were also confused. Did it have something to do with last night?

Before Yuuichirou could speak, a loud jingle came from the television, catching everyone's attention. All of them knew it was the emergency broadcast signal, and Yuuichirou grimaced as a frantic Kero appeared on the screen.

"_Everyone, this is an emergency! Densan's internet is under heavy attack!_" she cried, "_At the moment, numerous navis have begun a mass attack upon several areas in the area, invading and destroying both public and private systems. The officials have issued a statement to the public, warning them not to plug in anywhere until the officials can get everything under control-_" The scientist turned off the TV, cutting the reporter off as Netto stared at the screen.

"No way..." he muttered before standing up, "Mama, Papa! I have to go help Enzan!" he said, but Yuuichirou blocked his path before he could move. "Papa, what are you doing!"

"Listen to me Netto," he said lowly, "I know you want to help, but right now, I can trust Enzan and the other officials to do this. Right now, there is something more important that only you and your navis can do."

"Something that only we can do?" Rockman repeated, "What do you mean, Papa? Does it have to do with these attacks?"

Both navis, at this time, were staring intently at the scientist. Glancing at his partners, Netto sighed. "Papa, please tell me what is going on! You know something about these attacks, so please!"

Yuuichirou nodded. "What is going on right now directly relates to stuff that has been going on since you've returned, Netto. A few months after you came back, we started to notice a very odd energy originating in the Ura Net," he said, walking to the window and looking outside. "We had some investigations started, and around that time, many incidences involving the navis from Ura Net started happening."

Netto stared at this father, blinking. "Do you mean to say that the person who held Mama hostage was involved too?"

The scientist shook his head. "Partially, yes. That criminal in particular had his navi use the Ura Net all the time. But I digress..." he said, turning back and looking his son in the eye. "Right now, all we know is that whatever is causing these attacks lies deep within the Ura Net. The energy coming from there has infected many navis who reside there, leading to what is happening right now."

Forte looked thoughtful, and then spoke up. "I get it. We're the only ones who can get in there and take out whatever the source is, correct?"

"That is correct," Yuuichirou sighed. "The officials are busy defending the city systems right now, and I've already made preparations for the both of you to infiltrate the Ura Net."

Netto was trying to absorb all of the information his father was telling him, when the scientist spoke up again. "Netto, I just got a call from the Science Labs earlier. They're doing their best to hold in the energy, but they can only last around twelve hours before the systems give way. We cannot allow that to happen, or else...just think of all the chaos that would spread onto the internet!"

The brunette nodded. "All right, I see. We should get going right now in that case, then," he said. Yuuichirou nodded, but Haruka cleared her throat and walked back into the room.

"I knew you were going to go..." she said softly as she handed Netto a large muffin. "Eat it, you'll need it. And as for you two..." she said as she looked at both navis, "Be careful. Watch over Netto and take care, you hear me?"

"I will, Mama. I promise." Rockman piped up from his PET while Forte sighed.

"Do not worry. We will not fail," he murmured. Haruka smiled and hugged Netto.

"As for you Netto, don't do anything reckless," Netto was about to respond when he was cut off with a tighter embrace. "Something tells me this is far more dangerous then we know, so please, be careful!"

Netto nodded. "I'll be careful. Don't worry." he said. The mother chuckled and let go of her child, ruffling his hair before standing back.

"Alright, we should go now;" Yuuichirou spoke up, walking towards the door. "Haruka, hopefully we'll be back soon, so don't worry about us." he said. The woman nodded and smiled at her husband, a silent notice to him telling him to be careful.

Netto took a deep breath and walked towards the door, but when he opened it, he saw a frantic Meiru standing before him. "Meiru-chan!" he gasped in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I saw the news report..." she said, looking worried. "And I know that you're going out to try and help Enzan. I came here so I can help!" she said, looking resolute.

"Meiru, Netto has something far more important to do at this moment. Right now, we have to entrust the defense to Enzan and the other officials," the scientist said from behind Netto. Meiru looked stunned before turning back to her friend.

"What can be more important then helping defend the city?" she asked in a controlled voice, trying to hide her anger. Netto shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Meiru-chan, I'm going to go take out the source of this problem. That's why I have to leave right now," he said. The girl looked down, an unreadable expression on her face.

"At least let me come with you," she pleaded. "I want to help. I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines, just waiting for the outcome! Let me do something!" she said, looking back up at Netto.

The brunette shook his head. "Meiru-chan, I can't let you come with me, and I'm very sure that Papa would not allow it anyway," he said, and Meiru looked downcast for a moment before he continued. "However, right now, you can go help Enzan and the others in defending the city. They'll need all the help they can get until Rockman and Forte can take out the source, you hear?"

The girl blinked before nodding. "I understand..." she replied quietly. Yuuichirou looked like he was about to say something, but Haruka laid a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, making the scientist refrain from saying something. Meiru then looked back up, looking resolute. "Alright Netto, I'll go help wherever I can! But please, promise me you'll be alright."

"I promise, I'll be fine!" Netto declared as he chuckled. "Now...I have to go, Meiru. I'll see you later." The girl nodded, and then ran off towards the direction of Densan. Netto turned back to his father and nodded, signaling that he was ready to go.

The scientist frowned as they walked towards the car, looking over at his son. "Are you sure that you wanted her to go off and help fight?"

Netto nodded. "I trust her. I know she'll do a good job." Yuuichirou sighed and entered the car, with Netto following suit.

"I'll fill you in on what you have to do on the way. We have no time to waste." Yuuichirou said as he started the car. He then backed out of the driveway and began to quickly drive down the road.

Netto took both PETs into his hands and looked at the navis within them. "I can't believe things are happening so fast. Just yesterday we were having fun, and now there's a new crisis out of the blue."

Forte nodded. "Indeed. Your father says that this started when we got back from that other world, Netto-kun, but I wonder why we didn't notice until now? Surely all of the incidents that we've come across should have clued us in."

"But at the time, we all thought they were separate and not even related to each other," Netto said while leaning back in the car seat. "It couldn't be helped. Usually we know at least something about the enemies we fight, but now we don't know what we're getting into."

Rockman frowned before speaking up. "You know...before we left Endo last night, I had a strange feeling," he said, prompting the other two to look at him. "I felt something very strange. I heard someone laughing, and th e feeling I got from it...it was malicious. At the time, I just thought I was being paranoid about something, but now I think it's whatever we're looking for."

"I see..." he murmured before smiling. "Both of you, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to either of you, and we'll beat this thing!"

The two navis shared a look before nodding. Silently, Forte looked away as Yuuichirou started to speak to Netto about the plan. _I'm more worried about you, Netto-kun._

----

To Netto, the ride to the Science Labs was quick, his father's words just racing through his mind. As both of them walked briskly towards the lab, he ran the plan over one more time in his head before asking a question. "So Rockman and Forte have to get into the Ura Net, but the firewalls around Endo and many other areas prevent any traffic to and from it. How are they going to get in?"

"We managed to make an entry point at the outskirts of the Ura Net," Yuuichirou explained, swiping his key card through a security gate and pulling Netto inside. "However, we only have enough power to send Rockman and Forte inside once. We can't do it again without opening the firewall, which is an impossibility at this point."

"I see," the boy said, following the scientist through more corridors, "But if you said that the energy can infect navis..."

Yuuichirou smiled assuringly. "Don't worry, I've already thought of a counter measure for that. We've received samples of the energy being emitted from the officials, so I've managed to create an anti-virus that will protect Rockman when he goes in there."

Netto frowned. "What about Forte?"

"You don't have to worry about that, Netto," the scientist said as they were nearing the lab, "I am certain that Forte cannot be infected; it seems those with a strong will and an affinity for the dark can withstand the effects and not go crazy." Netto blinked.

"How do you know?" he asked suspiciously. Yuuichirou chuckled.

"Because then Serenade would probably come out of hiding and then things would get worse." he said. Netto paled at the implications and nodded, while Forte let off a snarl, as the memory of the emperor of the Ura Net came unwillingly to mind.

"It's even made it's way to the Secret Area?" he asked in shock. Yuuichirou nodded.

"Yes, but don't be alarmed. It's being repelled and cannot go deeper in. I think Serenade is making sure of that," he said as he opened the doors. "We're here." he announced, gesturing for Netto to follow him into the room.

The brunette nodded and followed his father, and immediately jumped when he saw a familiar face inside the room. "Dr. Regal!" he cried, forgetting everything that had transpired over the past year.

The dark haired scientist looked up and smiled at the brunette. "Ah, so you're Hikari Netto. Yuuichirou has told me much about you and your exploits," he said, picking up a disc on the table. "Unfortunately, we don't have the time for an extended hello, because we need you and your navis to act as quickly as possible." Regal then handed the disc over to his companion, who nodded and turned to his son.

"This disc has the anti-virus, and we need to install it into Rockman. It'll only take a minute or so, and time is of the essence at this point," he explained.

Netto got over his shock of seeing Regal before looking at his partner. "You ready, Rockman?" The blue navi nodded and immediately went into rest mode to prepare for the installation. Sighing, the brunette handed the PET over to his father, who went over to a computer while inserting the disc.

Taking a breath, Netto looked around the room. Numerous computers and other equipment he had never seen before. "Nervous?" Forte asked from his postion.

"Yes," Netto admitted, "I could be sending you two into a deathtrap for all I know."

"Maybe, but we're not so easily deleted," Forte replied, smirking. "Just trust us, Netto-kun."

Netto slowly nodded, still looking worried. "I'll do my best!"

At that moment, Yuuichirou walked back and handed Rockman's PET over to Netto. "All done. Check to see if Rockman is alright." Nodding, Netto turned on the PET, and a few moments later, an awakening Rockman could be seen as he yawned.

"How are you feeling Rockman?" Netto asked hesitantly. Rockman looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling.

"Never better! I can feel the anti-virus taking effect, so I'm good to go," he answered cheerfully. Netto smiled at him before nodding at the two scientists.

"I'm ready."

Regal sighed. "Very well. Come over to the main computer and we'll begin. Remember, make sure you have all your battle chips in order once you enter, because there is no going back out until the source has been eliminated."

The brunette quickly double checked his battle chips, and then nodded. "Alright, where do I plug them in at? And where exactly will they land?"

Yuuichirou spoke up for Regal, pointing to a place on the computer screen that looked like a map of the entire Ura Net. "Like I said before, they'll land in the outskirts, near the entrance to Endo Area. The source is deeper within, so they will have some walking ahead of them;" he said before typing some commands into the main computer, "Okay, preparations are complete. You ready?"

"Yeah, I am..." Netto trailed off as he looked at both navis, who nodded. "Alright! Plug in! Forte, Rockman.exe, transmission!"

----

"_Hey! Are you guys alright?_" Netto asked as both navis teleported in.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Rockman called back. Netto smiled in relief before looking at the cloaked navi.

"_Forte, are you alright?_" he asked softly. Forte instantly knew what the boy was referring to as he nodded.

"Yes, I am. It seems your father was right, after all." he said. Netto sighed in relief.

"_That's good,_" he muttered before taking another breath in. "_Anyway, look around for any leads. Papa and Dr. Regal can't get an exact location on the signal, so you're going to have to look around._" Forte grunted in annoyance while Rockman sighed. He hated spending so much time in the Ura Net, but it couldn't be helped.

The first thing Rockman felt as he and Forte landed in the barren Ura Net was a supreme feeling of unease. Nervously looking around, he saw that the area seemed darker than usual, and he could not see any of the viruses that normally occupied the area. "Forte, do you sense anything different?" he asked, taking a few steps forward onto the path.

The cloaked navi looked around, narrowing his eyes. "Everything here is wrong. I'm feeling some kind of energy floating about, but...I don't sense the presence of anything else. The whole area is deserted."

"I thought so," Rockman murmured before sighing. He never imagined that the Ura Net could get any creepier then it had, but he was proved wrong, apparently. "Anyway, we should get going and find whatever source Papa was talking about."

"Hmph..." Forte snorted, looking around again, "You're right. Let's go."

"_Be careful, you two. Something doesn't feel right,_" Netto said lowly. Both navis nodded in compliance and began to look around.

The two navis walked through the Ura Net as fast as they could, moving from area to area while searching for the disturbance. Along the way, they couldn't help but shudder at the utter silence of the area. "Didn't expect it to be this creepy..." the blue navi muttered as they walked into the next area. "Hey...is it me, or is growing darker?"

Forte looked around and nodded. "Yeah, it is. We're probably getting near it."

"It's probably near, but where?' Rockman asked to himself, cupping his chin with his fingers while looking around.

"The source of the chaotic energy?" came a voice from behind the navis.

"Yeah..." Rockman agreed before looking startled and turning around. "Who are you!"

Forte looked over the navi carefully while readying himself should the navi try anything. He was peculiar, with two sleek blue wings, a blue and red chest plate, and a black, white, and red bodysuit. He also had taloned feet and a helmet that looked like it was horned.

The navi chuckled. "Glad to see some navis are still sane around here;" he muttered, "I am Swallowman, a wandering navi.

Rockman didn't let down his guard, still looking at the bird navi warily. "How did you know what we were looking for?"

Swallowman snorted. "Easily enough. I saw you two as you were walking through the area and just decided to follow you. I can tell that you're a surface dweller, and there would be no reason to come in here at this time unless it was to do something."

"That still doesn't explain why you followed us." Forte pointed out, slowly sliding back into a relaxed stance. Rockman looked at Forte hesitantly before relaxing as well. Swallowman raised an eyebrow.

"Letting your guard down around me? Are you certain of that?" he asked in amusement, "How do you know I'm not going to attack you right here and now?"

"Because you would have done it already;" Rockman said, sighing. "You had multiple chances to attack us, but you didn't. So you obviously don't want to hurt us. But I'm guessing you want something, right?"

Swallowman chuckled again. "You're pretty sharp," he said. "Anyway...you're searching for wherever this whole thing started, right?" Seeing both navis nod, he then continued, "Well...I know where it is. And I can help guide you to it, if you wish."

Both navis stared at him, blinking. "So...what's the catch?" Forte asked suspiciously.

"Not really a catch, per se..." Swallowman waved off, "But the sooner you two do whatever you do, the faster I can get out of this place. I hate being confined to a single area."

Rockman looked at the cloaked navi and shrugged. "It makes sense," he said. He then held out a hand towards the bird navi. "I'm Rockman, and he's Forte. Nice to meet you."

Swallowman shook the hand, grinning. "Indeed. Anyway, to business," he said while looking over towards an area. "As you probably have noticed, this area is darker than the other ones. I reckon the source is near."

Forte looked in the direction Swallowman was facing, narrowing his eyes. "The energy feels stronger in that direction..." he muttered. Swallowman nodded.

"Yep, that's it alright. It's a bit of a walk, but I'm sure you don't mind." he said, shrugging his shoulders. Rockman sighed.

"Can you please lead us there? We shouldn't stay in one area too long, because the energy flowing throughout this area is making me shiver," the blue navi said, unconsciously gripping one of his arms in an effort to stop himself from quivering.

Swallowman frowned. "I'll lead you as far as I can. I can only go so far, however, because I do not want to chance getting hit by that energy."

Forte grunted. "Fine. As long as you can get us as far as possible, then point us from there, then we'll be alright." The bird navi nodded and motioned the other two to follow him, and soon they were off walking towards the source.

After a few minutes of traveling, Rockman decided to speak up. "Hey Swallowman, how did you not get infected?"

The bird navi shrugged. "I mostly stay near the outskirts, because traveling through the heart of the Ura Net is suicide, in most cases;" he answered, lazily gliding through the air as they turned a corner. "But then, over the last few months, a lot of the navis that have been living down here have been leaving in a mass exodus, all of them mumbling to themselves. They were utterly insane," he murmured.

"I see..." Rockman muttered.

"I don't know how or why I'm still sane, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth," Swallowman said. He then frowned. "So, who are your operators?"

"Our operator is Hikari Netto," Forte growled, stressing the operator part, "He's watching over us right now because we're on a mission."

The bird navi looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Operator huh? Interesting..." he said. "I never was the type to work with other people as a lifelong commitment. I'm content in just wandering the world," he mused, chuckling to himself.

Forte lowered his gaze to the ground at that, memories coming up to the front of his mind. Ever since his near death by Serenade, he had always wandered the internet alone, searching for new challenges and ways to increase his own power. At that time, the thought of even having an operator, even a lifelong commitment at that, was an outrageous one.

_But all of that changed,_ he thought as Rockman and Swallowman were talking to each other again. _Ever since that journey, he was willing to have me, even after all the things I have done. I have never even dreamed of being someone's navi willingly before this. Yet...I am finally happy._

The cloaked navi was snapped out of his thoughts as everyone suddenly stopped and he bumped into Rockman. "Huh?" he said in surprise as he stepped back. Rockman gave him an amused look before looking back at their guide. Forte rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before staring at the bird navi.

"This is as far as I can take you, as the energy being emitted is too great for me to go on," Swallowman said, landing on the ground and turning to face the other two. "Down this path should be where you have to head, all you have to do is go straight. I don't have a good feeling about what's ahead. Are you two sure you're going to go in there?"

Rockman nodded. "Of course. We won't fail our operator or our friends," he stated, smiling. Forte chuckled.

"We just want to end this as soon as possible. It's been giving us headaches for months." he replied. Swallowman smirked.

"Well, I guess I can't change your minds, then;" he said while turning away. "I wish you luck. It is very dangerous ahead." With a wave, the bird navi took off, flying away at a very fast speed.

At that moment, Netto finally spoke up after several minutes of silence. "_Ah, you're alright! I was getting worried!_"

"Where were you, Netto-kun?" Forte asked, looking to the sky.

"_I'm sorry, I was busy helping out Papa and Dr. Regal secure the defenses. Papa got wind of an emergency and is working on several computers like a madman. It seems the firewall around Densan is crumbling far faster than he thought!_"

Rockman grimaced. "It seems that we're running out of time. Let's hurry!" The cloaked navi nodded, and the two started to run along the path Swallowman guided them to. Soon enough, they found themselves standing on a large platform, staring at a huge hole hanging in midair.

"Is this it?" Rockman wondered, trying to look through the vortex. "I can't see anything on the other side..."

Forte shrugged. "Well, I don't think we have a choice. It's obviously in there!" he said before breaking into a run.

"Forte, wait!" the blue navi cried as Forte jumped into the hole, disappearing into the dark depths. Growling to himself about how impatient the cloaked navi could be at times, Rockman dove through the hole as well.

The blue navi tumbled into a roll and jumped to his feet as he took a look around him. The background of the net and the ground were all glowing with a dark energy, and the feeling of unease he had felt before had tripled. As he got up, he saw Forte standing next to him, staring off into the distance.

"I sense something very powerful emanating from far away..." Forte breathed, looking at Rockman, "It is far more powerful than I originally thought."

Netto looked worried. "_That worries me. I've never seen this area before...be alert you two. I don't know what to expect in here!_"

Rockman was about to respond when a chuckle reverberated from the darkness. Startled, the blue navi got in a ready stance, forming his buster.

"Rockman?" Forte asked, looking confused.

"That laugh...I would know it anywhere." the blue navi growled. The voice chuckled again before a flap of wings caught the cloaked navi's attention.

Standing in front of him was a tall figure that wore purple armor and a blue bodysuit, with long claws and yellow eyes. "Well well, it seems that the guests have arrived. I'll have to make sure to enjoy myself!"

"_Shademan!_" Netto shouted from his position, getting his battle chips ready._ "How did you...?_"

The vampire navi smirked. "Demanding questions of me so suddenly, little human? You should know by now..." he laughed, "That I'm not one to give you what you want!" he bellowed, rushing forward with one of his claws raised.

Both navis jumped out of the way in time, assessing their options. "He never dies, does he?" Forte asked, drawing upon Netto's memories to try to assess his foe. Rockman shook his head.

"Unfortunately not." he replied dully.

Forte smirked. "Hmph. Then we'll make sure that we'll accomplish it this time." Rockman had to chuckle as he got himself ready as well.

Shademan threw his head back and laughed. "By all means, you're welcome to try!" he shouted in glee, "But your lives will end here by my hand, I shall make sure of it!" With that, his arms turned into wings, and he took to the sky.

Rockman and Forte readied themselves as Shademan dove at them, malicious intent evident in his eyes.

"Crush Noise!"

----

**Next Chapter:** _Into the Dark Depths_: Rockman and Forte face off against a revived Shademan, while Enzan and Meiru are defending the city. But as the the two navis continue to traverse the darkness, Rockman's feeling of unease keeps growing. Something is waiting for both of them, something very powerful...

----

**Author's Notes:** Whew, another chapter finished.

Summer classes have ended (which was why I was late in updating), and I'm free until the twenty-first, when fall semester starts. Oy vey.

I'm really excited because I'm in the final stretch in this fic. It feels good that you're so close to finishing something, and it makes it worth it in the end when you finally do.

Anyway, next chapter will be soon.


	11. Dark Depths

Rockman leaped back, narrowly avoiding Shademan taking a swipe at him with his claws. Despite being surprised at Shademan's resurrection, he managed to squash it and engaged in battle with the vampire navi, trading blows. He was just as strong as he remembered, every movement and attack the same.

The odd thing was that Shademan seemed totally fixated on him, ignoring the cloaked navi in favor of ripping him apart. Rockman growled; of course Shademan was gunning for him! The vampire navi wanted revenge, after all.

The blue navi was forced out of his thoughts, however, when he saw Shademan spreading his wings again. "Crush Noise!" Rockman leaped out of the way of the sonic waves, trying to formulate a good plan.

_Where is Forte?_ Rockman thought as he jumped back, readying his buster. He had not seen the cloaked navi since Shademan had started his assault, and could only assume that he was hanging back to look for an opening.

"_We don't have time for this.._." Netto growled audibly, "_Rockman, get ready for a Program Advance! Spread Gun, triple slot-in!_" he cried as he pushed three chips in, a bright light emitting from his PET upon doing so.

Rockman raised his arms above his head until both of his hands combined to make a large gun. "_Program Advance, Hyper Burst!_" Netto finished as the blue navi brought the gun in front of him, leveling it with Shademan's position.

The vampire navi glanced at the weapon and growled, preparing to jump. He knew that if he was hit by that attack, it would severely injure him. Taking flight, he prepared to fly over the blue navi and bite him when he felt something swoop in behind him. "What...!"

"You forgot about me," Forte drawled, looking very amused.

"_Forte, now!_" Netto cried.

"Gladly," Forte said while smirking, forming the Gospel head with his hands. "I think it's time you went back to sleep. Permanently." Shademan could only watch in horror as Forte unleashed the Gospel Breath, and he screeched in pain as the fire washed over him, burning his entire body.

Suddenly, the fire stopped and Shademan fell to his knees, apparently still in pain. Forte jumped back and glanced at Rockman, nodding. The blue navi then took a breath in as he fired the Hyper Burst, the blue laser shooting out towards Shademan.

Both navis heard Shademan scream in pain as the attack pierced his chest. He immediately clutched the wound with his hand, but it was too late; there was a large gaping hole through him.

"How...this wasn't supposed to happen!" he growled, pieces of his data floating around him and being deleted.

Rockman walked over to Shademan, looking down at the kneeling figure. "Shademan, why are you back?" he asked lowly, getting his buster ready in case Shademan tried anything. Forte walked up, glaring at the vampire navi.

Shademan chuckled, although it sounded like a wheeze in his current condition. "Heh heh...I don't have to tell you anything," he wheezed out, a smirk plastered on his face.

Forte frowned. "Looks like he isn't going to give us any answers," he growled. "Let's just leave him here to rot."

Rockman was inclined to agree with the cloaked navi, but Shademan chuckled once again. "Fools. I might have been felled, but do you really think you'll survive the rest of the way? Idiots!" he cried before his data started to corrode. "To be defeated again, and so quickly as well...How disgraceful..." he muttered to himself as his data broke apart and deleted.

There was no trace of Shademan left as the two navis stared at the spot where he was kneeling.

Netto sighed. "_This whole thing keeps getting stranger. First the whole net, then Shademan being revived again? What is going on?_" he asked.

"I don't know, Netto-kun..." Rockman said as both he and Forte looked around some more, "It's not like the first time it's happened. But still..."

Netto frowned, but then noticed that Forte was staring off into the distance. "_Forte?_"

"I feel something from that direction..." the cloaked navi said, "It's very powerful..."

"Do you think that's what we are looking for?" Rockman asked, looking at his partner. Forte nodded.

"It has to be. I can imagine that it's hidden deep within the inner areas, but to feel its power from even here..."

"_Then be ready for anything, you two,_" Netto said seriously. "_I don't know what exactly we're facing but it definitely is something beyond what we've seen so far._"

"Right," Rockman said, while Forte nodded. The blue navi then turned to Forte, sighing. "So, which direction do you think we should go?"

The cloaked navi closed his eyes, concentrating. After a few moments, he turned a little to his right and pointed right in front of him. "I feel the power emanating from that direction. I think that's the direction we have to go."

"I see," Rockman murmured as he looked off into the distance warily. "We don't have that much time to waste, so let's get going."

"Right." Forte agreed. With that, both navis started to run in the direction where the cloaked navi pointed to.

----

Netto sighed as he plopped down in an available chair. To him, the fight with Shademan had taken forever, although only a half hour had passed. "Papa, how is everything going so far?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to see the scientist working.

Yuuichirou grimaced. "Not so good. I heavily underestimated the invasion of the Ura Net navis, and I'm bogged down completely," he explained, swiftly moving to another computer. "As it is, I already have at least half of the computers her working at maximum capacity."

"Where's Dr. Regal?" Netto asked, somewhat suspicious. He still wasn't sure if the former Nebula leader had completely changed.

"I asked him to go retrieve something from my lab," Yuuichirou quickly explained. "Something tells me we're going to need it."

Netto looked skeptical, but did not say anything. However, a quick shout from Rockman made him turn his attention back to the PETs.

"_Netto-kun! Viruses!_" the blue navi yelled. Netto quickly took out some of his battle chips and looked at the battlefield.

"How many?" he asked. Forte snorted.

"_Tons. We need to blast through them._" came the simple response from the cloaked navi.

The brunette nodded as he sent a Senshahou to Rockman. "Alright. I'm counting on both of you!"

Forte smirked as Rockman fired the powerful cannon, deleting several viruses and scattering others. He charged right into the largest mob, readying his busters with a wicked grin on his face. It had been a long time since he had faced such a large number of viruses. If the situation were not so serious, he would have played around with them, but time did not permit that. So he did what he did best.

"_Shooting Buster!_"

----

Blues grunted as he deleted another of the rebelling navis before pulling back and blocking an attack from another. Meanwhile, Enzan was watching the battle with a growing feeling of dread. He knew that Blues could easily take care of any Ura Net navi easily, but the fact was that he was outnumbered by a huge amount.

"How long can we keep going?" he asked himself softly. He wasn't a fool. He knew sooner or later, Blues would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents. The other assorted netbattlers were throughout the city, defending what they could.

Growling and shaking his head, he sent a Neo Variable Sword to Blues, hoping that he could drive the intruders out of the area. He watched Blues wield the blade like a master, cutting down several enemies in only a few strokes. However, for every enemy he deleted, three more would charge in.

"_Enzan-sama, there is no end to them!_" Blues exclaimed as he slashed through another line of navis. "_We might have to retreat to another area..._"

Enzan grimaced. Only in the worst of situations did Blues advise that they both retreat elsewhere. Right now, the most they could do is probably retreat to a smaller area, but then what? Frowning, he saw one option.

"No choice, Blues. We're fighting here." he said grimly.

"_Yes, Enzan-sama._" Blues assented before diving in again. The official then pulled out three chips and quickly slotted them in.

"I don't know how much this will help, but we need to clear out some space," he muttered. "Battle chip...Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Slot-in!" he cried as the screen glowed, "Program Advance, Dream Sword!"

Blues hefted the glowing sword above his head, looking for the best place to strike to inflict maximum damage. _There!_ he thought as he saw an area where the navis were less concentrated. Bringing the immense sword down in a swiping motion, he managed to clear the area enough for him to leap through. The red navi silently assessed the terrain he was now standing on, finding it to his favor with a height advantage.

"Good job Blues," Enzan complimented as he slid in a Samurai Sword. "Now we just have to hold this position..."

"_Roll Arrow!_" came a familiar voice as an an arrow shot into a navi's chest, instantly deleting it. Blues turned around to see Roll standing there, her bow extended as she readied another arrow.

"Roll...? Then that means..." Enzan muttered before a holographic screen popped up, Meiru waving.

"Enzan!" she said in relief. Enzan glared at her.

"What are you doing here? The order was given out not to let civilian navis into the city!" he said. Meiru frowned.

"I know that, but...you and Netto are doing your all to stop this, and I'm not going to sit back anymore," she said resolutely. "I know I shouldn't be here, but I need to do something! Do you know how hard it is just to sit back and only wait for the outcome? I hate that feeling! So does Dekao and Yaito! They're out helping wherever they can right now, so I have to do my best too!"

The official sighed as her words sunk in. He did know how hard it was to watch other people go off and fight while he could only sit around, awaiting the outcome. It's happened to him too many times to count. "Alright then," he said lowly, "but under no circumstances will you do anything rash. I can't fight and get you out of danger at the same time in this situation."

Meiru nodded, with Roll mirroring her actions. "Right!" they both said in tandem.

Blues sighed as he looked at the pink navi, who had an arrow ready to fire. "You ready?"

Roll nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it." she said as she fired again. Blues grunted and charged into another group of navis, his sword swinging.

---

"Are they gone?" Rockman panted as he looked around, buster still extended in case anything else popped up.

Forte nodded. "I believe so. This area is clear."

"_Good,_" came Netto's voice. "_Let's take this time to rest. We don't know what lies ahead._"

Both navis sighed as they knelt down, taking a quick breather. After several minutes of intense fighting, they were able to cut a path through the numerous viruses that inhabited the area, finally losing them after a long chase.

"What is this area, anyway?" Rockman suddenly asked after a few minutes of silence, "In all my trips to the Ura Net, I've never been in a place like this."

"_That's strange..._" Netto piped up, looking thoughtful. "_I've never seen this area before either. Do you have any idea where we might be, Forte?_"

The cloaked navi shook his head. "No. I'm as clueless as you two."

In all his time wandering the Ura Net, Forte had never seen this area before. It was as if it was created within a few scant months...and although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, it was disturbing to think of how an area such as this could hold such a powerful source like the one they were looking for.

Netto sighed. "_I'll say this...it's frightening to think of whatever created this area, and within such a short time as well. Who knows how powerful the source is?_" he said. Forte looked up, looking absolutely shocked for a second before masking it with a frown.

Rockman blinked. "Eh? Forte, what's wrong?"

The cloaked navi looked like he was about to voice his concern, but then shook his head. "It's...nothing. Just some irrational thoughts."

The blue navi gave him a critical eye, but shrugged. "If you say so."

Forte frowned before turning away, looking worried. _How did he know the same thing I was thinking? I might be sounding paranoid, but to come to the same conclusion at the same time? That's far too coincidental considering our...situation._ Grimacing, he turned back to see the image of Netto, who was apparently organizing his battle chips for later. _I really hope that this is only that, Netto-kun...because I really hope my memories aren't overtaking yours._

"I think we've rested enough," the cloaked navi said. "We should keep moving."

Rockman nodded. "Yeah, I'm good to go right now." he said as he stood up. Silently, the two started to move again, keeping on the lookout for viruses.

----

At that moment, Regal ran back into the room, holding a strange device in his hands. "Yuuichirou, how are the defenses looking?"

Yuuichirou shook his head as he went back to typing. "Not good, and they're steadily declining. The systems are holding out for now, but the computers can't keep this up much longer."

Regal grimaced. "I see," he said before putting the device off to the side. "Show me a working computer and I'll help the best I can."

The brown haired scientist gave his coworker a small smile and pointed towards a computer in front of him, and the two were soon working madly.

Netto observed all of this in confusion. It was really odd to see both his former enemy and his father work together as if they were old friends. Had Regal really changed that much? The only thing Netto remembered about him was a near insane tyrant, and the one before him seemed like the polar opposite; a cool, law-abiding scientist that was working to prevent a disaster from befalling Densan.

_Face it, he's changed,_ he thought to himself._ People are still capable of change. Just because he's done so many bad things in the past doesn't mean he can't be repentant...even if he doesn't even remember what he exactly did._

_Besides, what about Forte?_ his mind continued, _He has changed the most...as have I. I should stop remembering Regal's past and accept who he is now...but why is that so difficult?_

Netto didn't have time to think over that question as he let out a grunt of pain and clutched his head. _No! Not now!_ he thought as he willed the memories away. After a few moments, the pain in his head disappeared, almost as suddenly as it appeared. _Why are Forte's memories coming on so suddenly? They're coming up almost every few days now..._

"Netto, are you alright?" Yuuichirou asked, not looking up from his computer. He couldn't afford to at that moment. "I heard you grunt in pain. Is everything fine?"

The brunette debated on whether or not to tell his father what was happening, but struck the thought of it down. It wasn't the time for it. "I'm fine, Papa. Don't worry about me!"

"That's good..." he heard his father sigh before he went back to work. Netto sighed and rubbed his temples, trying to ward off the light headache that had surfaced. _After this whole thing, I'll tell him what's been going on. Hopefully, Papa can find out what is going on with my memories and stuff..._ he told himself, taking a deep breath in.

Just then, a sudden noise from Rockman's PET caught his attention. "Anything wrong Rockman?"

"_I can feel it..._" the blue navi breathed, "_The energy! It's growing stronger..._"

"_Not only that, but I can feel something dark emanating too. This isn't good._" Forte added, scowling a little bit.

"What exactly do you think it is? Netto asked, a worried expression present on his face.

"_Whatever it is...it feels more powerful than even Nebula Grey, even from here!_" Rockman spoke up. Netto paled at the thought; Nebula Grey had been one of their most powerful foes to date, and the sheer thought of something even more powerful than that was not good.

"What can be more powerful than Nebula Grey...?" he asked himself.

"_Netto-kun, I suggest we stop thinking on it,_" Forte said. "_We'll face it as it comes, and getting worried or worked up before hand will guarantee our demise._"

Netto took in a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. We can't afford to falter here," he said. "Let's keep going and see what we find. I have a feeling that something is ahead."

Both navis nodded and continued on their course, walking through the dark depths of the area.

----

"I'm not liking this..." Rockman muttered as they walked along the dimly glowing path, "Something about this area is giving me the creeps."

"I know what you mean," Forte responded, looking around again. "This place is...unpleasant."

Rockman snorted. "I think that's putting it lightly." he muttered. Forte snickered for a few moments before they continued on into the darkness. They kept walking for a while, mainly lost in their thoughts before the blue navi suddenly stopped.

"Did you hear that?" he asked to his companion, who shook his head. "It sounded like someone was laughing."

"Laughing?" Forte inquired, tensing up. "Someone might be here." he growled.

Suddenly, laughter boomed throughout the area, alerting both navis to its presence. "_This laugh...I've heard it before!_" Netto exclaimed.

The laughter stopped, and in front of Rockman, a figure suddenly appeared. "You!" he shouted, immediately recognizing the navi.

The figure laughed again, a deep, booming tone that sounded like thunder crashing in the distance. "Yes...Me." he said nastily.

The cloaked navi eyed the newcomer, trying to match a name to the one seen in Netto's memories. "You...you're Cloudman. How are you alive?" he said, finally recognizing the navi. "More importantly, why are you here?"

Cloudman chuckled. "Fools. Do you think I would allow you to pass here?" he asked, raising his arms. The two navis could see dark clouds start to spread out, and got their weapons ready.

"You didn't answer my question." Forte growled. Cloudman only smirked nastily in his direction.

"I don't have to, worm," he sneered, incensing the cloaked navi. "You'll be dead soon enough, anyway."

"_Where have I heard that before?_" Netto muttered dryly. "_Rockman, Forte! Take him out!_"

"Gladly," Forte snorted, bringing both of his busters up. "It shouldn't take long."

Rockman grimaced. "Careful, he seems to be more powerful this time..."

The thunder navi let out a booming laugh. "How right you are! Let me give you a little demonstration!" Raising his hands in the air, Cloudman brought them both down, as if he was throwing something. "_Elec Storm!_" he bellowed.

On his command, the clouds all glowed as one as they prepared to unleash a massive electrical discharge. "_Jump! Now!_" Netto commanded quickly, both navis obeying as they narrowly missed being fried.

The blue navi looked around, his eyes wide. "How did all these clouds form in such a short time!" he gasped. Forte scowled.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to let him get the jump on us." he said as he unleashed a volley of buster shots, piercing many of the dark clouds and destroying them. They both landed in the now clear area, looking around.

"Where did he go?" Forte growled, his eyes darting from place to place. Rockman turned his head slowly, analyzing the battlefield.

"He likes to hide among his clouds to get the jump on his opponent...he could be anywhere with the amount he spread earlier." he muttered, holding his buster out in case of any sudden movements.

Forte growled in disgust. "Such a cowardly way of fighting."

"_Cross Spark!_" Cloudman bellowed, and immediately, sparks of electricity shot out from the black clouds, zooming across the floor and aiming for the two navis.

Both navis moved out of the way, but immediately had to dodge another spark as it sped towards them. Soon enough, they were dancing away from each spark as it passed, frantically moving so they wouldn't get hit.

"This is endless!" Rockman shouted over the crackling of electricity, "Try destroying the clouds!" he said as he shot at multiple clouds, destroying them.

Forte nodded and shot off several more volleys, dispersing more of the clouds. Somewhere, Cloudman laughed again.

"How futile! No matter how many clouds you destroy, you'll never find me!" Then, the air was charged with something heavy, and Forte turned to Rockman, gritting his teeth.

"_Move!_" he yelled as he quickly jumped back.

Rockman did as Forte said, just as Cloudman called out his next attack. "_Heavy Cloud!_" he roared, the dark clouds all around the area combining into a huge, tornado-like cloud. The massive cloud then sped towards the two, huge winds being left in its wake.

The brunette looked worried. "_Quick, try to disperse it!_"

Rockman grimaced as he tried shooting a few buster shots into the cloud. "It's not working!" he exclaimed as he jumped back.

"_Hold on, Rockman!_" Netto exclaimed as he immediately inserted a chip. "_Battle chip, Bamboo Sword! Slot in!_"

The translucent green sword formed on Rockman's arm, who brought it into a defensive position in front of him. The giant cloud slammed into the blue navi, who barely managed to hold it at bay. For a few moments, the struggle between the two was deadlocked. However, Rockman managed to push the cloud off him and managed to slice through it, dispersing it and revealing a rather irate Cloudman.

"Little punk. That was a lucky shot, and that won't happen again." he growled, summoning more clouds.

"_He's uninjured?_" Netto asked in disbelief. "_How? That attack should have at least crippled him!_"

"Netto-kun," Forte spoke up suddenly, destroying the clouds as fast as they were appearing. "The energy I felt before...it's in great concentration in this area. I didn't notice it before, but now it's clear that he's using it to his advantage somehow." he muttered, jumping away from another Cross Spark.

The brunette was dumbfounded. "_So the energy is making him way stronger than before? Or it's doing something to his clouds?_" he asked, trying to theorize what was happening and how to stop it.

"I think both, but he's not invincible," the cloaked navi said, narrowly dodging another few sparks. "We have to hit him as fast as possible, and as hard as we can. Otherwise, we'll be here forever!"

"_As fast and as hard as possible...?_" Netto ruminated, looking at his chips. Suddenly, his face brightened up. "_I got it!_"

"Netto-kun?" Rockman questioned, recovering from the struggle earlier while doing his best to destroy the dark clouds that littered the area.

"_We have to be quick. Get him to reveal his position, and then attack as quick as we can!_" Netto said, holding up a few chips for the navis to see. "_Forte, can you hit a wide enough area so he has to show himself?_" he asked, to which the cloaked navi nodded. "_Good. I'll then quickly send chips to both of you before he has another chance to attack. We only have one shot, so we have to make it count!_"

"Alright, Netto-kun." Forte said softly as he brought his dual busters up.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's futile!" Cloudman boomed from around them, but Forte only smirked.

"Oh? Then allow me to show you...that nothing is futile at all." he said as he brought his busters up. "_Shooting Buster!_"

The shots scattered amongst the floor, piercing the clouds in a wide area. Suddenly, Cloudman screamed in pain as numerous buster shots drilled into him, making him reveal his position from the clouds.

"Got you," Forte said, smirking. Cloudman growled at the cloaked navi, glowering. "What was that about not hitting you again?"

"How dare you mock me..." Cloudman said angrily, "I'll make sure to enjoy your deletion!" With that, he held out one hand in the direction of the navis, who both looked prepared to do anything.

"_Get ready!_" Netto cried, and the navis nodded.

"_Goro Thun-_" Cloudman started, but was suddenly cut off by Netto.

"_Battle chip, Bamboo Lance! Slot-in!_" the brunette cried quickly. "_Rockman, now!_"

"Right!" the blue navi said as he raised his hand and clenched it. As if on some mental command, several sharp bamboo poles shot out from under the ground, piercing Cloudman's back. The large navi roared in pain as the lances pierced through him, caught by surprise by the maneuver. The lances retracted, and the large navi slumped to the ground.

"Damn you...!" he spat, trying to summon up enough energy for another attack.

"_Now!_" Netto cried as he hurriedly picked up Forte's PET. "_Neo-Variable, Slot in!_" The cloaked navi formed the glowing sword and charged at the downed Cloudman.

Cloudman raised his hand again, intent on attacking. "_Goro Thunder..._" he rasped, but was interrupted by one of Rockman's Charged Shots.

"Bye," Forte said simply as he brought the blade down, cutting through the large navi with ease. Cloudman gave one final scream of pain as he fell backwards, sliced in half horizontally.

Netto gave a sigh of relief. "_We did it..._" he breathed.

Rockman frowned. "We did...but now I'm worried," When Netto gave him a confused stare, he sighed and continued on. "Cloudman was never this powerful before. He might have been able to hold his own against me for a time, but it never took two navis just to take him down."

Netto looked thoughtful for a moment. "_You're right...could it be due to the energy that Forte said was in the area?_"

"That could be it," Forte stated, but then looked confused for a moment. "That's odd..."

"What is it?" Rockman asked, staring as Forte looked around the whole area.

"That energy I felt during the fight is completely gone," he said, narrowing his eyes. "It's like it was never here in the first place. That shouldn't be possible."

"_With what we've encountered so far, this isn't good. Do you think it was whatever we were looking for?_" Netto asked, confused with all the events taking place.

Forte nodded. "No doubt about it, Netto-kun. For now, let's get there as fast as we can..." He stopped suddenly as a weak chuckle captured his attention. "You're still alive?" he deadpanned.

Cloudman was laying on the ground, barely holding his data together as he chuckled. "Like I said before...you're fools..." he said weakly, prompting both Rockman and Forte to glare at him. "Beyond this point awaits a hell you cannot imagine. Your deaths are all but certain now...I only wish I could see it." With that, he gave a dying chuckle before he exploded, his data fully deleted.

The two navis stood in silence, pondering over what Cloudman had said when Netto spoke up. "_Rockman, Forte...let's keep going._"

"Netto-kun?" Rockman asked, uncertain.

"_It's like Forte said before, we can't think on it. We'll face it as it comes,_" he explained, looking determined. "_Don't let the enemies get to you guys! Everyone is counting on us, so we can't be stopped here!_"

"You're right. We can't get distracted now. We're too far in," Forte agreed, looking in another direction. "The path leads off over there, and the energy is stronger than before..."

Rockman closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

The two navis then started walking down the path, leaving behind another battleground and another deleted navi.

----

"They have made it this far...this should be impossible!" a gruff voice echoed through the darkness.

"Hehe, but we didn't anticipate that second navi coming in, did we?" another voice questioned, his voice lowly whistling.

"That is true," the first voice mused. "However, now we can learn from both Shademan's and Cloudman's mistakes."

"How so?" the other figure asked.

"Just look at them," the first figure chuckled, "Them and their human operator. They depend on him to help them, but what happens if he can't help both at the same time?"

The second voice seemed to think this over before laughing. "That's perfect! Choosing one over the other, eh?"

"Or trying for both and achieving neither." the first one finished calmly.

The other voice laughed merrily, waiting for the moment to strike. "I can't wait to fight them. I want some fun! Being cooped up down here has gotten boring!"

"Be patient," the first voice said strictly. "You'll have your chance."

"Right, right." The second figure said, placated. The first one nodded before turning away and walking a short distance, kneeling when it reached his destination.

"My lord, you have felt them, have you not?" it questioned, its tone smooth. "They get closer. They must be stopped, at all costs." it said, looking up.

The figure's voice was met with utter silence. However, the figure nodded as if he had just been commanded.

"...as you wish." the figure said before standing up and bowing. A sudden light filtered into the dark area, illuminating the figure's golden face for a brief second before it was cut out.

Cosmoman grinned evilly. "Rockman and Forte...this shall be fun." he sneered as he walked away.

From where he stood only a few seconds ago, a soft, chilling laughter could be heard from that very spot, a malevolent energy growing ever stronger.

"**Chaos...I shall achieve it. Nothing shall stop me**!"

----

**Next Chapter:** _Crisis Core_: As Netto's friends begin to steadily repel the invaders, Rockman and Forte find themselves getting closer to the inner areas, where the source of chaos thrives. However, some old enemies stand in their way, and may prevent them from advancing. Coupled with the strange headaches Netto is suddenly suffering from, can the three of them manage to overcome the odds?

----

**Author's Note:** Ah, August. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of the semester, which means back to school with me.

First off, I'm sorry if I mislead anyone with my last author's note. I was only saying that I was excited to be getting into the final stretch of this fic. I didn't necessarily mean that the next chapter would be the final one, since it would be anti-climatic if that was the case. No, there are still a few chapters left, all of which I intend on finishing before this year is over.

I did intend to have this chapter out far earlier this month. However, other duties coupled with the fact that this chapter was really hard to write slowed the process down.

Now, because school has started, expect progress on this fic to slow down a bit. I'm going to have my hands full this semester, so unfortunately, Affinity might have to be shoved to the back-burner if things start getting hectic.

I can't make any promises on when the next chapter will be written. I aim for next month, as I always do, but it might not happen. Only time will tell.

Anyway, keep watching for the next chapter. Hopefully, I'll get around to it earlier than than I planned.


	12. Crisis Core

Netto sighed in relief as he plopped down in the nearest chair, rubbing his head. "That was close..." he muttered. He was on edge during the entire battle with Cloudman, and only now was he starting to calm down.

"You alright, Netto?" Regal asked as he walked over and gave him a bottle of watter. The boy smiled in thanks as he took a large gulp, then nodded.

"Yeah, I am," he said, taking another swig of water. "I'm just really nervous."

"Ah, I see," Regal said as he started to head back to the servers. "Exercise caution at this point, Netto. You're nearing the deepest part of the area, from what it looks like.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, I will. Thanks." he said before sighing. He idly wondered how things had progressed this far. Couldn't the Science Labs done something far earlier than this?

Netto snorted. _Yeah right. They're a bunch of useless fools._ he thought. Blinking suddenly, he then looked stunned for a second. _Wait, where did that come from?_ Netto thought anxiously, _I would never think something like that!_

Grimacing, the boy rubbed his head again. _I'm just tired, that's all. As soon as this is all over, I'll get some sleep. _hetold himself, calming his nerves.

Still, he could not help but wonder where that thought came from. He sounded so cynical, so..._Forte_-ish.

Freezing up, Netto took in a few deep breaths. _Now that's ridiculous,_ he thought to himself, _Like Forte? There's almost no way I could sound like him-_

At that moment, something flashed before his eyes, and before he could react, a sudden image came to the front of his mind.

"_You can't do this! He had nothing to do with it!_"_a middle aged man in a suit shouted at a group of people, seated high on a panel._

_One of the men on the panel frowned. "It must be done. He is too much of a liability."_

"_Liability!" the middle aged man said indignantly, "How could you place the blame on him for Proto's malfunction? That's inconceivable! "_

"_Dr. Cossack," came a steely voice from one of the members. "You do not have a say in the matter. We have already dispatched the Navi Elite Corps. to dispose of your project. This decision is irreversable._

_Cossack could only gape in shock at the panel of scientists, his anger visible on his face. "How dare you..." he snarled as he turned around towards the door. "I have to warn him!"_

"_I do not think so," the steely voice said again as two security guards took the struggling Cossack by the arms. "We will not let him get away...and to make sure of that, you're not going to say anything to him. Guards, take him to a confined room and make sure he stays there." he ordered, and the guards dragged the cursing scientist out of the room._

_While all of this was going on, none of the assorted scientists noticed the security camera catching everything on tape._

Netto uttered a cry as he clutched his head in his hands. Yuuichirou, hearing his son cry out in pain but unable to leave his station, turned towards his son's direction. "Netto, are you alright!"

The boy grimaced as he sat up, breathing hard. "Yeah, I'm fine..." he said. "I...stubbed my toe on the table."

Yuuichirou didn't buy that for a second. "Are you sure? It didn't sound like you hitting your foot." he said in concern.

Netto snarled. "I said I'm fine!" he snapped. Yuuichirou recoiled in shock as Netto seemed to catch himself and sighed. "Ah...sorry."

"N...Netto?" the scientist asked, now worried. Netto gave his father a shaky smile.

"Sorry for snapping at you, I'm just tired, that's all." he answered. Yuuichirou gave him another glance of concern before nodding, accepting that.

"Just be careful, alright?" Netto nodded, and then turned back to his PETs.

Although he didn't show it, Netto was shaken. _I almost lost it again...for no reason! What's happening to me?_ he thought as his head throbbed, a headache coming on. _Why am I getting these memories now, of all times?_

"_Netto-kun, are you alright?_" Forte asked, looking concerned as well. Netto jumped; he forgot that his partners were there too.

"I'm fine," he murmured softly, "Like I said, I'm just really tired." Netto winced when Forte frowned and crossed his arms, a sign that Forte knew he was lying.

"_That's not true,_" Forte said. "_You're in pain. Something happened. What was it?_"

Netto bit his lip. He wanted to tell Forte about what he just saw, but at this moment..."Forte, please...I'll tell you after this whole thing is over. Right now, we have to concentrate on moving forward." he said.

Forte stared at him for a few moments before sighing, relenting. "_Fine, but..._" he muttered, "_Please, just tell us what's wrong when we're done here._"

Netto smiled at the cloaked navi. "Don't worry, I will." he said before closing the communication window. He hated having to prolong telling his friends about it, but right now, he had to come to terms with it himself before he could tell them. _Rockman, Forte...I'm sorry._

That gave rise to another thought, as he saw how worried both navis were for him. _Damn you Cossack...you could have done more to protect Forte. Why didn't you?_

Rubbing his head again, Netto sighed as he opened a window to look around the area. "So...how much further, you guys?"

"_Forte says that it's not that far,_" Rockman said. Netto could detect that Rockman was also worried about him from the tone of his voice, but said nothing. "_I can feel it too. The energy is very strong around here._"

Netto frowned. "That doesn't sound good."

"_That's because it isn't,_" Forte interjected, his voice coming from off-screen. "_Like I said before, if the chaotic energy feels this strong from even here, then the power at the source must be unimaginable._"

The brunette nodded and looked thoughtful. "Well, let's just keep moving forward. Be alert, though...the absence of viruses is suspicious." he warned.

"_Right._" both navis said together, and they continued down the dimly lit pathway.

------

Rockman walked down the dark path, suppressing a shiver. It seemed to grow colder as they kept going, which was very unnatural, even for the net. Staring ahead, he was amazed at how they could still see. The darkness was heavy in the area, and it was hard seeing more than a few meters at a time.

Forte's sudden chuckling caught his attention as the cloaked navi walked right past him. "Cold?" he asked in amusement.

Rockman frowned. Even if they weren't enemies any more, Forte could still rile him up. "No," he huffed. "It's just...the power that's coming from afar. It's making me shiver."

Another chuckle came from the cloaked navi. "Heh, don't try to fool me. I feel it too...it is getting colder as we keep going," he said. "Didn't think it'd affect you, though."

"That's because you have that cloak on." Rockman grumbled. Forte smirked, but didn't say anything as they continued along the path.

Just as Forte said, the air started to grow colder as they went on, getting to the point where Rockman was hugging his arms to himself in order to keep warm. Forte frowned.

"This chill isn't natural..." he muttered.

"I'll say," Rockman said as he looked around. "Maybe there is something that is causing it?"

The cloaked navi then narrowed his eyes. "Like another navi, perhaps?" Rockman nodded.

"_If that's the case, then maybe you should take them out..._" Netto spoke up, "_I've noticed something, and if my hunch is correct..._" he muttered.

Rockman immediately saw what Netto was getting at, but Forte was perplexed. "Netto-kun, what do you mean?" he asked.

"_Our opponents so far have been Shademan and Cloudman...they were both Darkloids. I'm seeing a pattern here, but something very weird is going on nonetheless._" he said while looking thoughtful.

Forte then understood. "Now I see. We've been facing Darkloids so far, and we've only fought two of them."

Rockman nodded. "Yes, but what about the other two? Blizzardman and Cosmoman?"

"_I'm assuming that they're lurking somewhere ahead of you two,_" Netto said, "_I'm more worried about how they could be revived a third time without Nebula around._"

"You're right, that doesn't make sense," the cloaked navi said as he looked around. "Do you think whatever it is brought them back?"

"_I'm sure of it,"_ Netto answered. "_But why would it revive the Darkloids? What does it want?_"

"I guess we'll find that out as soon as we find it," Rockman said. "Right now, it's best to just keep moving."

"_...you're right. Since you're saying it's so cold, do you think Blizzardman is near?_" Netto asked thoughtfully, "_He could be, so be careful._"

Heeding Netto's warning, both navis readied their weapons in case they ran into anyone as they walked along the path, glancing around for any kind of attack.

"I shouldn't be this paranoid..." Forte grumbled, "If an attack comes, it will come." he said as he put his buster away. Rockman looked at the cloaked navi for a few seconds before doing the exact same thing.

"It is better to be prepared than caught off-guard...but acting overly paranoid also works against you." Rockman mused as he walked alongside the cloaked navi.

Forte shrugged. "I never had to fear attacks before. Why should I now?" Rockman chuckled.

"True..." he muttered.

The two walked a bit farther, this time entering a new area. Blinking, Rockman looked around. "Why is it so much brighter in here?" he questioned.

"It could be a trap...be wary." Forte warned, to which the blue navi nodded.

It was another few minutes of walking that Rockman decided to speak up. "Hey, Forte?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

Rockman shifted a bit uneasily, as if he was hesitant in asking something. "I kinda have a question..."

"Spit it out." Forte said gruffly.

Rockman gulped, then sighed. "How did it feel to be in the real world?"

Forte was not prepared for that question. "W-what?" he stammered, blinking rapidly.

"You heard me," Rockman said. "When you were in that other world with Netto-kun, you said you were pulled into the real world. What did it feel like?"

The cloaked navi remained silent for a few moments before staring at Rockman right in the eye. "Why this all of a sudden?"

"Why not?" Rockman asked, "It's been on my mind for quite a while. I wanted to ask right now, or I would always keep it to myself..." he muttered.

"I see..." Forte said softly, "But why? Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because..." Rockman started, looking at the ground. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the cloaked navi, deciding to tell the truth. "I've always wanted to be with Netto-kun, and I want to be there alongside with him. To actually touch him, you know?" He then smiled sadly, "Even then, when I couldn't, we still had our bond together, our link..so even if I couldn't touch him physically, I could still feel he was there."

Forte frowned, feeling a pang of guilt. "Rockman..."

"But now...I can't feel him anymore," the blue navi continued. "When both of you were taken to that other world, everything changed. You got the chance to touch him, to know that he was real...you also are linked to him now, which I used to be...I guess that's why I didn't like you at first." he chuckled bitterly.

The cloaked navi looked away. "I'm not going to apologize for actions I had no control of, if that's what you're looking for." he said stiffly.

Rockman chuckled again. "It's not your fault, and I know that. It's just...I find it ironic at that time, my worst enemy was the first one able to meet him in person. Life sure is strange," he said. "So...what did it feel like, really?"

Forte took in a deep breath and looked at the blue navi. "To be honest...when I look back on it, it was nice. But...we didn't really have time to enjoy it seeing as how we were attacked by a giant bird of death and all," he joked lightly. "But also...I didn't admit it to myself until later, but I was happy to actually see him face to face, to actually touch him. I think he was happy too...although I think he would be happier if he can meet with both of us sometime."

Rockman gave him a small smile. "I see...well...I have something to look forward to, at least."

Forte blinked. "Huh?"

"Ah, nothing! Just thinking to myself." Rockman said quickly as he turned away. _Someday...I'll meet Netto-kun face to face too._

Shifiting suddenly, Forte turned and resumed walking. "Well, if we're done here, let us keep moving. We don't have time to waste."

The blue navi nodded and followed his partner deeper into the depths of the area.

-----

Meanwhile, back in Densan City, Enzan, Meiru, Dekao, and Yaito were doing their best to hold off all of the Ura Net navis that were invading. The four managed to get themselves and their navis in the same area, but they were being swarmed by multitudes of enemies.

"There's no end to them!" Dekao cried as he quickly sent Gutsman an Earthquake chip.

Yaito frowned. "Every time I take out one of them, three more take its place! Where are they coming from?"

"Enzan?" Meiru asked as she turned to him, hoping for a few answers. "Do you have an idea where they are coming from?"

Enzan grimaced. "No, I don't," he admitted, "However, I just got a report from other Officials. It seems that the invasion is starting to die down."

Meiru smiled. "So that means...!"

"It doesn't mean anything if we can't hold them off here," Enzan interjected quickly. "Just because they are starting to be pushed back doesn't mean that we've won yet. We have to continue fighting until we're sure they're gone!"

Dekao nodded. "Yeah! That's the spirit!"

Meiru sighed. "Alright then. Roll, support everyone if they start getting hurt, but don't hesitate to attack if you have a chance!"

"_Gotcha!_" the pink navi said as she fired off another Roll Arrow.

"_Enzan-sama,_" Blues spoke up after slicing another enemy in half, "_I don't mean to trouble you any further, but...we're almost out of battle chips._"

The official blinked. "How can that be? I made sure I had enough..."

"_Forgive me, Enzan-sama. There were too many converging at one point, so I was forced to use many of the battle chips just to scatter them._" Blues apologized as he dodged another attack. Enzan frowned.

"That makes things a lot worse, then..." he muttered. "Blues, I'm trusting you to hold them back."

"_Yes, sir!_"

Meiru smiled at him. "You've changed a lot, Enzan."

The Official remained silent for a few moments before grunting. "Maybe, but this is no time to think back on it now."

"You're right..." she said before getting the remainder of her chips ready. The four remained steady at their position, fighting fiercely to push back the Ura Net navis.

------

"Hold on," Forte said suddenly, holding out an arm to halt Rockman as well. "Someone is near."

"I know," Rockman whispered, readying his buster. At that moment, a laughter could be heard ringing through the air, which almost sounded like whistling.

"I know that laugh..." Rockman growled. Forte stood ready with both of his busters out as a large figure slid into view.

"Ah ha! Rockman, only you could come this far!" the large figure laughed, "But this is as far as you will go!"

"We dont' have time to fight with you, Blizzardman," Rockman said, pointing his buster in his direction. "Move!"

Another chuckle caught their attention as both Rockman and Forte turned around to see a golden navi standing behind them. "Oh? And I had something fun planned for all of us, too...you disappoint me."

"Cosmoman!" Rockman gasped. "How...?"

Cosmoman sneered. "You fool. I've been watching your progress since you both entered here. It's been fun, but you shall go no further."

Forte growled. "He was planning on this the whole time. Now we're caught in a pincer!"

"_Both of you get ready while I start sending battle chips!_" Netto cried, "_Cosmoman! What do you want!_"

"What I want?" Cosmoman asked silkily as he drew back his hand. "Nothing much...except your life!" he shouted as he immediately sent out a barrage of Cosmo Rings. Rockman and Forte jumped out of the way, only for Blizzardman to be right there when they landed.

Laughing madly, Blizzardman initiated his attack. "Snow Rolling!" he cried as he rolled towards them in a gigantic snowball. Grimacing, both of them quickly moved out of the way as Blizzardman rolled past them.

"This isn't good." Rockman muttered.

Netto looked upon the battlefield and tried to think up a plan. "_Try splitting up! Concentrate on one enemy at a time!_"

"A good plan." Forte said as he faced a smirking Cosmoman. Rockman nodded as he faced Blizzardman, who was moving around frantically.

"Ah, what fortune...to face the so called ultimate navi," Cosmoman said in amusement as the two circled each other. "A pity that you look so weak."

Forte snarled. "Weak? This coming from a navi that has already died twice?" he shot back, incensed at his opponent.

The golden navi waved him off. "Oh come now, haven't you noticed it? You've rejected darkness for the light. You decided to become weak." he taunted.

"If I have become weak because I finally found someone to call a 'friend', then I don't want to be known by your stupid definition of strength." Forte quickly retorted, charging up his buster.

"My, such a sharp tongue you have," Cosmoman said mockingly, "I'm afraid I'll have to silence it...permanently! Cosmo Buster!"he roared, sending out several satellites at the cloaked navi.

Forte merely jumped over them as he started to shoot wildly at the Darkloid, who despite getting hit with a few glancing shots, came out of the assault unscathed.

Meanwhile, Rockman was busy dodging Blizzardman's attacks while trying to shoot at him, to no avail. "He's faster than before..." he muttered.

"_Rockman, stay sharp!_" Netto warned as he slotted in a chip. "_Battle chip, Wide Shot! Slot-in!_"

A large shooter materialized on Rockman's arm, who aimed it at the rapidly moving around Blizzardman. "Have to make this one count..." he said to himself as he aimed it and fired. Fortunately for him, the shot, while missing Blizzardman, tripped him up, making him stumble to the ground. Rockman immediately took advantage of it and fired a few buster shots at the fallen navi.

Blizzardman, however, got up with little effort. "Hah! Is that the best you can do?" he laughed. Rockman grimaced.

"This isn't looking good...I better come up with something quick." Rockman said to himself as he dodged another Rolling Slider from the Darkloid.

Forte, however, was having slightly better luck. While Cosmoman was pretty fast, he wasn't fast enough to evade the wide area of his own buster. However, that came with the price of lack of power, and Cosmoman was only receiving nothing but small scratches.

"I'm disappointed, I expected so much more from a navi of your caliber!" Cosmoman laughed. Forte growled.

"At least I don't have to rely on fake power like yours." Forte smirked. Cosmoman narrowed his eyes.

"I see you've noticed," he drawled. "But it is too late. At this moment, I am far stronger than even you, thanks to my lord."

The cloaked navi snorted. "Yeah? Then back it up, then." he said.

Cosmoman smiled sinisterly. "As you wish. Cosmo Gate!" he called out as a black hole opened right above Forte, sending out waves of meteors down upon the black navi.

The cloaked navi quickly dodged the falling meteors as best as he could, but one grazed his arm as it fell. He growled softly; it didn't hurt that much, but the fact that he was still able to feel it, even with his high tolerance for pain, spoke something of Cosmoman's power.

"_Ah!_" Netto cried out softly, making Forte look up.

"Netto-kun? What's wrong?" he asked quickly as he shot some more at the smirking Cosmoman.

The brunette took a few moments before answering. "_I'm fine...I'm sending you a chip!_" he said quickly. "_Battle chip, Senshahou! Slot-in!_"

Forte immediately formed the giant cannon on his arms and leveled it at the golden navi, who smirked.

"Like a slow attack like that could hit me," he scoffed, "You're welcome to try, though!"

Forte growled, before smiling slyly. "Oh, I will." he muttered before firing the powerful bullet at Cosmoman. The Darkloid laughed and opened a dark portal, vanishing through it as the attack reached his position. He then reappeared behind the cloaked navi, sneering.

"Hah! You've fallen so far to have to depend on that human for everything!" he laughed, but was shocked as Forte turned around, smirking. "W-what!"

"Gospel Breath!" Forte exclaimed as the wolf's head formed from his hands, letting out a large stream of fire. Cosmoman roared in pain as the fire washed over him, leaping back to try and escape the flames. "So, who is weak again?" Forte chuckled, making Cosmoman snarl.

"You'll pay for that." he growled. Forte kept on smirking.

"Oh? You said I was weak for depending on Netto-kun...that's not how it is. We support each other, he doesn't give me the power I need. You, on the other hand...you have to depend entirely on one thing for your own power!" Forte said coldly, pointing his busters at the golden navi, who was glaring at him.

"_Your dark power never worked for you before, Cosmoman, and it won't work now!_" Netto added, "_Get out of our way, now!"_

Cosmoman chuckled. "So you got in a lucky shot...big deal! It just means I have to stop going easy on you." Just then, Blizzardman was blown back to Cosmoman's position from a well-placed Charge Shot from Rockman, who joined Forte.

"Argh..." Blizzardman let out as he slowly got up, "That hurt!"

Cosmoman smiled. "I think we've played around too long. Let's just finish them off here." he said, outstretching his hands.

Blizzardman cackled. "I was waiting for this moment!" he cried as he started to roll again. "Snow Rolling!"

Grunting, both of Netto's navis dodged the attack, but what Cosmoman did next put them on the defensive.

"Cosmo Prison!" Cosmoman bellowed as a dark portal opened, waves upon waves of satellites pouring out, all heading to collide with Rockman and Forte.

The two did their best to both shoot the satellites, but were hard-pressed to keep dodging Blizzardman at the same time.

"You can't keep this up forever!" Cosmoman laughed as more satellites made their way towards them. Rockman grimaced.

"He's right, we can't keep dodging before we tire out!" he mentioned to Forte, who could only growl in agreement. "We have to do something, quick!"

------

Netto was in a quandary. "I have something to help them..." he whispered to himself, looking at the chip in his hand, "A Dream Aura would save them, but I can only send it to one of them! I can't do that!"

Quickly shuffling through his chips, he paled when he saw he had no other chips to help his navis. "What can I do? I don't have any other chips that can protect them!" he said in despair. He could only watch as both Rockman and Forte were trapped in a pincer by both Darkloids, trying to dodge the relentless attacks.

"Do you need some help?" came a voice behind the boy. Startled, Netto looked behind him to see Regal standing there with a very strange device in his hands.

"Dr. Regal!" he said, surprised, "I do, but...how? I can send chips to only one navi at a time...and both of them are in trouble! What am I to do about this?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"I think I can help," Regal said as he laid the machine on the table. Netto stared at it. It was very plain looking, with something that looked suspiciously like a chip slot and two wires that were connected to the base.

"What is this?" Netto asked anxiously.

Regal smiled. "I don't have time to fully explain it, but I developed it in such a case like this. It will allow you to send chip data to two navis at once." he said. Netto looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Really?" he asked hopefully, looking down at the device.

"Yes, but there are some limitations," the scientist warned. "The power of the chip you send will be cut in half, and you can't slot in more than one chip at a time. It won't be able to withstand the power of forming a Program Advance."

Netto nodded, understanding. "Lets use it then!"

Regal nodded. "Be aware that this is the first time it will ever be used...so it may not work," he warned as he connected the two wires into Rockman and Forte's PETs. "There, everything is set up...good luck." he said as he stepped away.

Netto smiled. "Rockman, Forte, I'm coming to help!" he exclaimed as he held a chip up, "Battle chip, Dream Aura! Slot-in!"

-----

Forte blinked as he felt the protective aura cover him, shielding him from the onslaught. Both he and Rockman were surprised when they saw they both had a separate aura, although it was flickering.

"What!" Cosmoman gasped, temporarily letting up on his assault. Blizzardman plowed right into Rockman, but thankfully, the Dream Aura repelled the attack and threw the Darkloid back, dazing him.

"_Now! Press your advantage!_" Netto cried, "_Battle chip, Custom Volt! Slot-in!_"

A large lightning rod formed on both Rockman and Forte's hands. Forte smiled. "Time to end this, Rockman. Let's go!"

Rockman smirked. "Gladly." he said as he jumped towards Blizzardman, with the cloaked navi going after the other Darkloid. Blizzardman tried to stand up to mount a defense, but was too late as Rockman plunged the rod into him, pumping the Darkloid full of electricity. Blizzardman let out a scream as the blow was struck, being deleted almost immediately.

Rockman sighed as he pulled his arm back. In the past, Blizzardman, while being a handful, was never as powerful as he was now. He turned to watch Forte, who now was standing over a kneeling Cosmoman. It seemed that Forte's attack had done a great deal of damage to the Darkloid.

"You're finished," Forte said simply. "You cannot fight anymore."

Cosmoman growled and tried to stand up, but his body failed him. "Do you really think you've won?" the golden navi asked, "I am nothing in the grand scheme of things. Such a small victory should not be celebrated."

Forte frowned, but Rockman walked up next to him and looked down at the Darkloid. "Who are you working for, and why are they attacking the net? There's no reason for them to be doing it!"

Cosmoman chuckled, then broke out into laughter. "No reason?" he asked, slowly standing up despite his injuries, "My lord doesn't need a reason! Who are you to come into the darkness, preaching about what we are doing is wrong?"

Netto was now confused. "_What are you talking about? You're the ones who are attacking the net! The source is in this area!_"

"Ah, such a simple explanation from one who is so ignorant," Cosmoman wheezed, inciting Netto's anger. "It doesn't matter anyway. At this point, you cannot stop him...he is far too powerful for the likes of you two."

Forte snorted. "Like you were supposed to be?" he asked pointedly. Cosmoman growled.

"Say what you will, but that doesn't change the fact..." he muttered before gaining an insane smile on his face. "That both of you are about to die!"

Netto was alarmed. "_Rockman, Forte! Get back!_"

Cosmoman laughed as he summoned the last of his strength. "Cosmo Gate!" he roared.

Another black hole opened in the air as meteors rained down. Cosmoman smirked as he saw the two navis get bombarded by numerous meteors, and chuckled as he heard them cry out something. At that moment, he gasped in pain as he felt two shots pierce his backside. Turning his head, he saw both Rockman and Forte there, their busters extended and smoking.

"Argh...an Area Steal..." he gasped out as he started to delete, "Forgive me, my lord, for my failure...may you use whatever power I give you in my death!" he moaned before being totally deleted.

Rockman sighed in relief. "That was too close." he said.

Forte nodded in agreement. "It was...but something is bothering me, and Cosmoman confirmed my suspicions. Surely both you and Netto-kun have noticed it too, right?"

The blue navi looked thoughtful. "You're right...both of them were far more powerful than the last time I fought them," he mused. "So whatever revived them had to also power them up, right?"

"_That would be the case,_" Netto said. "_Well, we've defeated all of the Darkloids, and all that remains is the whole source of this whole mess...it's not far now, is it?_"

"Yeah, we're nearly there..." Forte murmured. "Let us keep going." he said to Rockman, who nodded.

The two navis walked a short distance from the battleground, and only a few minutes into the walking, Rockman froze. "Netto-kun..."

Netto blinked. "_Rockman, what is it?_"

"I feel it...the dark power here is stronger than ever!" the blue navi gasped out, looking ahead.

"I can feel it too...it lies ahead." Forte said simply.

The brunette was worried. "_Should you two return to the PETs to rest before heading in there? If it is as powerful as you say it is, then surely some rest would help..._"

Forte shook his head. "Sorry, Netto-kun, but we can't do that."

"We've come so far already, and we can't leave here just to recuperate our bodies," Rockman continued. "We don't have a choice at this point. We have to move on."

Netto sighed. "_In that case...just rest for a few minutes. It won't do you two any good if you rush right in there right now without resting a little bit._"

Both navis nodded. Netto smiled. "_You two...be safe. I'm worrying up here for both your sakes._"

Forte smiled. "Thank you...Netto-kun."

----

Netto sighed audibly as he plopped back down in the chair. He really was worried; everything was happening too fast!

"Are you alright?" Regal asked, looking at the boy. Netto smiled.

"Yeah, I am...thanks, Dr. Regal, for helping me when I needed it." he said. Regal chuckled.

"I am glad I was able to help, but..." he said as he looked down at the device, which was now sparkling in some places, "It seems that while my invention was a success, it took up a lot of energy just sending those chips to your navis. We won't be able to use this anymore."

Netto sighed. "It's alright, I'm just glad you had it with you. Otherwise, we might not have gotten out of there with as little damage we did.

"Anytime," Regal said smoothly. "Now comes the real battle. From what your navis have said, the real source of all of this chaos lies ahead. What you've faced so far were only mere extents of its power. You must exercise caution to the utmost when facing it."

Netto smirked. "Don't worry, I will. We'll come out of it victorious, as well!"

Regal chuckled. "Good to see that you're keeping your spirits up. You'll need that." he commented as he walked back to where Yuuichirou was.

The brunette chuckled, but as Regal walked away, he gently rubbed his left arm. Sometime during the battle, a sudden pain flared up in his left arm, around the same time Forte was fighting Cosmoman. He dismissed it as just a sudden pain, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that there was more to it.

"It's nothing," he whispered to himself. "It's just a coincidence, that's all. There is no way that I could be hurt at the same exact time as Forte, right?" Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the PETs to see both navis sitting down on the ground and making idle chatter. Smiling, he ran a hand through his hair.

_I'm glad that both of them are finally getting along..._ he thought. Frowning, he rubbed his temples yet again. _Forte has gotten over the desire to kill Rockman..._

_But the question is, can I conquer Forte's memories before I am driven to such a point?_

_-----_

**Next Chapter:** _The Extreme:_ Forte and Rockman head into the core of the darkness, intending on confronting the mysterious enemy. However, within the very source of the chaos, Netto is faced with a difficult situation as the source reveals itself. With some unexpected help, can Netto, Rockman, and Forte put an end to the chaos?

-----

**Author's Note:**Well, I don't really have any other excuses for the delay on this chapter other than school and lack of motivation.

I really intended to have this chapter out earlier, but other events made me unable to do so. However, with only a few chapters to go, it shouldn't take long to finish this story.

Keep an eye out for the next chapter, which I hope to release by the end of this month.


	13. The Extreme

Netto sighed as he sank back into one of the chairs. That battle with Cosmoman had been far too close, and he was glad that battle had finished without either of his two navis being injured. However...he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

_What was it that I felt a few minutes ago?_ Netto thought, absentmindedly rubbing his arm. _It felt like some sort of blow, but...that's impossible. I couldn't have felt the same thing Forte did, right?_

Shaking his head, the brunette stared at the two PETs. _I already know that the situation is far more dangerous than we thought, but...what is this feeling of foreboding?_ he thought, growing worried. If something happened to Rockman or Forte...

Netto shook his head. "No, they'll be fine. I shouldn't think like that." he muttered softly to himself, taking a deep breath.

Regal noticed the boy's apprehension. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah...I'm just worried," Netto said truthfully. It would do no good to make false assurances at this point in his mind. "We've been surprised at every turn, and now that we're at the last area, who knows what awaits us?"

"I see," Regal muttered as he nodded. "It is normal to be worried in a situation such as this. We have no idea what is ahead...and despite being prepared, there is one surprise after another."

Netto sighed. "Exactly. That's why I'm worried."

Regal shook his head. "Yes...but you're also worried about your navis," Netto looked at Regal in surprise, who only shrugged. "How do I know? It's written clearly over your face, Netto-kun."

The brunette shifted uneasily. "You're right. I trust both of them...but I'm always worried!" he said, turning to the scientist, "What if something happens to them? What if I can't help them when they need it? What if..."

"Nothing is ever solved by constant 'what ifs', Netto," Regal said smoothly, "You just have to believe they can do it, and do your best to help them."

Netto took a deep breath and sighed again, still looking uneasy. "Yeah. Thanks, Dr. Regal." he muttered as he turned back to the screen.

The scientist gave the boy a small smile. "Now, you have to concentrate. We're all counting on both you and your partners."

Netto gulped. The fact that everyone was relying on him yet again had already sunk in, but he could never remember feeling like this. A terrible feeling was welling up in him, but he couldn't quite place it...what was going to happen?

-----

"It's gotten a lot more silent down here," Rockman muttered as he cautiously walked into the dark abyss. "I don't like it."

Forte only nodded in response. The loud static that had been in the past areas had started to dim somewhat as they kept going, and just totally fall silent as they approached the core. "Hm...I wonder..." the cloaked navi muttered to himself.

"Wonder what?" Rockman asked, looking over at his companion.

"I'm wondering if it's so dark down here that it's drowning out all the light and sound." he answered, looking around.

The blue navi blinked. "Now that you mention it...it has gotten a lot darker since we've gotten in here." he muttered.

"Indeed," Forte continued. "We're very close, so we have to prepare ourselves for anything."

Rockman looked to the distance, silent as he ruminated over something. "Hey, Forte..." he muttered, getting the other navi's attention, "Who...or what do you think is waiting for us, anyway?"

"Good question," Forte grumbled. "I've been trying to figure that out myself."

The blue navi gave a low hum, mulling over possibilities. "It doesn't seem like any human could control this...for that fact, any other navi other than yourself either." Rockman quickly berated himself when he saw the cloaked navi wince. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean-"

"No, it's alright," Forte interrupted, "I'm well aware of that fact. Anyway, I'm unsure of whatever is causing this is either human or navi, to be honest."

"Neither?" Rockman asked, somewhat surprised.

The cloaked navi nodded. "Yeah. I just have this feeling...you know?"

Rockman stared at him for a long while before slowly nodding. "I see. Yeah, I've gotten those feelings too."

"Rockman," Forte started, his face very serious and his tone almost commanding, "We must be ready. Whatever we're dealing with may be even more powerful than either you or I have ever faced."

The blue navi nodded. "Got it. I'll be careful."

Forte sighed as they started walking back into the depths. Something...didn't feel right at all. For the first time, the cloaked navi felt uncertainty. The darkness ahead of them didn't bode well for them, and...he actually felt slightly fearful.

_No, calm down!_ Forte told himself, trying to get his emotions under control. Taking a few deep breaths, he finally managed to get the shaking feeling out of his body. _Am I actually scared of going in there? _he thought incredulously, glaring ahead at the distance. _I can't afford to feel afraid now. I'm going in there!_

Rockman stopped suddenly and looked over his shoulder. "Forte?" he asked softly, sounding slightly worried for his companion. "Are you alright?"

The cloaked navi shook his head and walked past Rockman. "Yes. We have no time to waste, so let's go." he said curtly, and possibly more forceful than he meant to.

Rockman only stared at his partner. There was obviously something bothering Forte, but he kept his curiosity to himself as he caught up. He didn't want him upset before going into battle, after all.

The two continued walking, both of them oddly silent. They were fast approaching their final destination, and Forte was mentally preparing himself. He couldn't believe it, but he still felt jittery somehow.

"Hey...Forte," Rockman piped up suddenly, stopping only a few feet away from the large platform, "I have one last thing to ask. Can you hear me out, please?"

Forte only gave the blue navi a long look before sighing and nodding. "Go ahead."

Rockman ran through the question in his head again before taking a deep breath. "This has been bothering me for a while...and before we go in there, I'd like to have it answered if possible." he breathed out.

"So? Spit it out already." Forte growled.

"Why did you change?" the blue navi quickly asked, avoiding his gaze.

Forte blinked. "Eh?" was all he could sputter out.

"Just as I asked. Why did you change?" Rockman repeated, still avoiding the cloaked navi's staring eyes.

Forte bit his lip. _To be honest, I don't know how to answer that._ he thought to himself. Sighing, he tried to think of something to say. "Well..." he began, "When I changed wasn't all that long ago, really...but you're asking why I did, huh?"

At Rockman's nod, he took a deep breath and continued. "I suppose...well, I suppose it has to do with the other world again. Everything has to do with it, to say the least," he said, looking away from his companion. "Netto was the first one who had found me. Although we didn't want to, we had to work together to survive, you know?

"I know, you and Netto-kun have told me this before..." Rockman muttered, but was cut off by Forte's snort.

"Then you should see what I'm getting at, right?" he said grimly. "Even though we couldn't really stand the other during our travel, Netto-kun was the only one I could ever remember that didn't fear me, and instead, actually worked with me even though I was resisting to the end. I didn't know why he didn't fear me, why he didn't care that I nearly killed both him and you during our last encounter, or why he didn't leave me behind like so many other people have." Forte sighed again, but Rockman could sense the small amount of sadness that the cloaked navi held back.

"Maybe that's why...no," Forte then shook his head, more to himself than anything. "It is why I protected him when that blast was about to kill him. He had trusted me the whole way, and at the time, I think I subconsciously knew what I had to do."

Rockman stood silent for a few moments before making one last inquiry. "...did you really want to protect him, or did you just think you owed it to him?" he asked, steeling his voice.

Forte noticed the sudden apprehensiveness and decided that it was now or never. "...I really did feel that way." he said quietly.

"What?" Rockman asked, blinking several times to make sure he heard correctly.

"I've also thought a lot about it," Forte muttered, staring off into the distance once again, "I really believe that I wanted to protect him...the one that didn't care about my past at all, the one who put his life on the line to help me...it would be an insult to him to say that I only did it as a favor. I did it because I wanted to." he finished simply.

Rockman was speechless. Not only at Forte's reason, but rather from what his companion was doing. Was he...shaking? "Forte?" The cloaked navi must have noticed what he was doing and immediately straightened up, turning back to look at Rockman.

"That's my reason. That's why I changed. All because he gave me a chance." he finished. Rockman looked down at the ground, somewhat shamed.

_And here I was, having doubts!_ he thought angrily. Netto and Forte were trusting him, and here he was, not being able to put something so simple behind him.

"Sorry." Rockman said with his head still bowed. Forte only stared at him.

"Why are you apologizing? It was only a simple question, so..." the cloaked navi started, but was cut off as Rockman stared at him with something akin to remorse showing in his eyes.

"No, that's not why I'm apologizing;" he said slowly, "I thought I had put all my doubts behind me a while ago. But I didn't, I still doubted you despite everything that we've been through." Sighing, he looked away once again. "I let myself believe something was off, something was wrong with you. I've been horrendously stupid..."

"Rockman, enough;" Forte said sternly, "You don't have to feel sorry."

"What?" Rockman gasped, looking up at the cloaked navi. "But-"

Forte shook his head. "You've had all the reason in the world to doubt me. I'm not surprised at all...had our positions been switched, I would actually feel the same way."

When Rockman stayed silent, Forte could only sigh. "Come, we've wasted enough time here. Let's get moving." he said gruffly before turning around. He heard Rockman sigh as he followed, and could only shake his head. Emotions were a complicated thing.

---

Netto leaned back in his chair, his gaze still focused on the two PETs in front of him. Unbeknownst to the two navis, the boy had heard every single word of their conversation. Needless to say, it pained him terribly.

_I had no idea that Rockman has been suffering like this,_ Netto said to himself in his head, grimacing. _Even worse, I haven't even approached him about it. What kind of brother am I?_

The operator could only sigh and hold his head in his arms as he mulled over everything. _Dammit, how could I let this happen? I was trying to be careful..._ the boy thought as he mentally beat himself up.

Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. That was it. In trying to be cautious with Rockman about the whole deal with Forte, he didn't dare ask him about his opinion of the other navi...or maybe he was just scared.

Yes, that was it. He was scared of broaching the topic with Rockman, because he didn't know how he would react. He had kept telling himself that he would do it eventually, but now he realized that it was a bit late for that. At that moment, Netto felt like driving his head right into the wall, but refrained from doing so. _Oh god, I'm so sorry, Rockman..._

And yet...Netto couldn't help but be surprised when Forte had talked about his reasons.

_All because I gave him a chance..._ Netto thought solemnly, biting his lip. He had to wonder if he truly knew about the losses the cloaked navi had suffered throughout his early life, even with the flux of Forte's memories.

Failing to hold back a sniffle, Netto knew what he had to do when everything was resolved. It would be time to talk to both of his navis and resolve everything between them.

To hell with his fears; nothing would stop the boy this time.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Netto pushed it all to the back of his mind. As eager as he was to try and start making amends now, he still had a job to finish. A job that he and his navis were going to do together.

"Rockman, Forte...can you hear me?" Netto winced at how his voice cracked for a moment before he managed to bring it back to normal. Something told him that everything wouldn't be so easy after this.

No matter. They had all the time in the world when it was all over.

---

Both navis looked upwards, relieved to hear their friend's voice after so long. "Netto-kun, how is everything on your end?" Rockman asked, showing concern for what was happening in the real world.

"_It's starting to get under control, but Papa's and Dr. Regal's efforts will be in vain if we can't stop it here._" came the reply, Netto's voice conveying his anxiousness.

"Then we'll stop it here," Forte remarked simply. "I won't give it a chance to escape!"

Netto was silent for a few long moments before speaking up again. "_Regardless...Papa says the area you two are in has the largest concentration of chaotic energy, and there's no doubt that the source is there._" The boy paused for a few seconds before continuing, "_But please, be careful...something is very off, and I don't know what it can be!_"

Forte was going to ask what he meant when he felt it. "This energy..." he muttered to himself, "Why does it feel stable?"

"What's wrong?" Rockman asked, turning to look at his partner.

The cloaked navi looked nervous. "Chaotic energy isn't supposed to be stable in one spot. Just as its name implies, it is always supposed to be fluctuating, not ever staying in the same spot for a period of time."

Rockman paled. "Then...that means..."

Forte nodded. "While we already knew this before, what we're dealing with isn't normal by any means. But to think that it is a being of chaotic energy..." Shaking his head, he grunted. "No, we don't have time to ruminate on this. We need to get going!"

"_I agree. If you two are ready, go ahead and head in...just be careful, alright?_" Netto ordered, sounding somewhat hesitant. Both navis nodded.

"We will, Netto-kun." Rockman said softly. Turning to Forte, he nodded, and both of them walked forward onto the platform.

"Ugh!" Forte grunted, bringing his arms in front of him as if he was trying to ward something off. "I didn't expect it to be this strong here!" Rockman also braced himself, also feeling the effects. While the energy was indeed strong, the two navis managed to force their way through, even though it took several minute of struggling to walk to do so.

Finally, they made it to the middle of the platform, where they both stopped to pant. That was when Rockman noticed something.

"That's odd...why can we move freely over here?" he asked, holding his chest. There was some sort of sizzling sensation going through him, but the cause of it escaped him for the moment. Forte nodded.

"I'm not liking this. It's letting us through for some reason." Forte growled, looking around.

"_What is that?!_" Netto exclaimed in surprise. The two navis looked around quickly, and found what Netto was talking about.

"A giant flame...?" Rockman questioned, squinting his eyes at how bright it was. "Here? What is going on?" Walking towards it, Rockman suddenly cried out as he clutched his chest, stepping back in recoil.

"_Rockman! What happened?!_" Netto cried in alarm. When Rockman stopped moving, he took a few breaths before looking up.

"I...I don't know. My chest was hurting sometime before this, but when I stepped towards that thing, it just became unbearable..." he whispered. Forte looked concerned for a moment before they heard Regal's voice.

"_I imagine that being due to the program being overloaded..._" the two navis heard him murmur, "_We did not have such a concentration of energy in mind when we made he program...or rather, we couldn't make it so that it could protect against such strength. We didn't have enough time to do so..._"

Forte grunted. "That's fine, but now what do we do? If Rockman can't proceed..." he trailed off. Netto opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a grunt from the blue navi.

"It's fine..." he said slowly, "I'm fine. However...if I can't even get near that barrier, then what are we going to do?" Rockman asked, glaring at the flaming wall.

"_I don't know..._" Netto said, trying to think of anything. It was always one thing after another!

Rockman looked over the scene once more and got an idea. "Hmm...hey, Forte;" he murmured, waving the other navi over to him, "If I can't get near it, maybe you can. Papa did say that you were used to the energy before we came in here." he suggested.

Forte blinked at Rockman's observation before deciding there was no harm in it. Cautiously, he slowly stepped towards the barrier, wondering if there was anything to expect. To both his and Netto's surprise, he walked all the way up to the flaming wall with ease. "What the hell?" he asked in mild surprise.

"I see..." Rockman breathed. "I was right. The energy beyond that barrier is far too strong for the resistance program to handle. So..."

Netto narrowed his eyes. Rockman was up to something, and he didn't like it. "_Rockman, what are you saying?_" he asked in a low growl, having a good idea where this conversation was going.

Rockman opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the rumbling of the ground. "What the-?"

Forte grimaced. "Get back! The energy...whatever that thing is doing, it's making all the chaotic energy in the area fluctuate wildly!" he shouted. Both he and Rockman retreated to the center of the platform, looking around frantically.

"**So, you finally got here. You have kept me waiting too long...**" came a low voice out of nowhere. Rockman's head snapped up, his eyes wide.

"That's it!" he cried, realization dawning in his eyes. "That was what I heard last night! It's that voice!"

The voice continued as if he hadn't heard Rockman at all. "**I commend you for reaching here. To think, you two could fight off the hatred of the navis that drifted here...**"

Forte looked confused. "Hatred? What do you mean?"

There was a booming laugh that reverberated throughout the area. "**I can sense your unease...how wonderful! While the bodies of those navis had perished long ago, their hatred still lived on...eventually, I took that and gave them physical bodies once more, existing only in this dimension.**"

Both of the navis understood what the voice was saying. "...they were phantoms, then." Rockman stated stiffly.

They could have sworn that the voice laughed. "**How perceptive! Their hatred against you, Rockman, was what kept them going! They might have not have been totally who they once were...but they all remembered enough that their desire to delete you was above all else.**"

"But why?" Forte asked, growling at the air. "Why would you go to the trouble of creating such things? Why would you revive the dead?"

"**Because, my dear little navi, I need pawns to use to create chaos in the world. I thrive on it, and the more there is, the more I am fed,**" the voice purred, making everyone shiver. "**The more I am fed, the more power I can generate, leading to even more chaos. It is truly exquisite.**"

"_That's the reason why it's doing all of this?!_" Netto exclaimed in horror. "_All just to take over the whole net with chaos?_"

"**You misunderstand me, human;**" it said in amusement, "**I don't seek world domination or anything trivial like that. All I want to see is this whole miserable net world filled with such chaos that the world above will feel it too! After all, it should be fitting for the real world to become undone by the very thing they have created, would it not?**"

"Like hell we'll let you do that!" Forte snarled.

Rockman nodded in unison. "We're going to stop you! We're not going to let you destroy everything just because you want to!"

The voice laughed again. "**Interesting. As much as I would like to entertain you two, I'm simply afraid that you've become too much of a threat since you've made it this far.**" When the voice stopped speaking, as if on some command, six shadowy figures appeared around the two navis, who immediately tensed and slid into their battle stances.

Rockman instantly noticed something was wrong when he glimpsed at the figures. "It can't be...Colonel?!" he cried.

"_What...?_" Netto said in shock as he got a closer look at the figures. "_Tomahawkman, Shadowman, Knightman...even Numberman and Toadman! What are they all doing here!?_"

Forte growled again. "That's not them! Look at their eyes!" In unison, both Rockman and Netto looked at Colonel's eyes and gasped.

They were blank, void of any emotion. In fact, all of their eyes were red, and they were transfixed on the two navis they encircled.

"_You bastard! How are you doing this!?_" Netto roared from his postion. The voice merely chuckled.

"**Oh, it was simple, really. Anything that enters the Ura Net at any time is subject to meeting with chaotic energy, no matter how small. I can create copies of anything that has been in contact with it, even if it was only for a scant second. I just modified the ones you see before you to my liking!**"

The two looked over all the copies again and found that their color schemes were much darker, even inverted from the ones they knew. "Only copies..." Rockman murmured, not knowing when they would attack. All of the copies looked like they were about to pounce, and even with their strength, six to two odds weren't very favorable to them.

Chuckling once more, the voice seemed to start fading out. "**Now, kill them! Leave nothing!**" it ordered as it entirely went away. In unison, all of the clones pounced, their weapons aimed right at the two.

Rockman and Forte both dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the combined strike. While both had their busters out, the last thing they wanted to do was attack. Not because they were afraid, but scattering them would be the worst possible thing at the moment. _Better to keep all enemies in sight._ Forte thought quickly as both he and Rockman took the chance to hide behind a large piece of debris.

Netto bit his lip. "_What to do, what to do..._" he repeated to himself, trying to decide whether to slot in a battle chip or wait to analyze the situation.

Meanwhile, Rockman knew what he had to do. _This is the only chance we have...and I have to do it now, or it'll never happen!_

"Forte, when I go in there to engage them, I want you to run to the barrier and pass through it, okay?" he whispered quickly, raising his buster. Both Forte and Netto looked at him in shock.

"What the hell are you talking about, Rockman?" Forte hissed, glaring at the blue navi. He was somewhat taken aback when he didn't respond.

"This is our only chance to get through this! You're the only one who can get through that barrier, and we don't have much time!" he retorted.

"_Are you insane, Rockman!? I'm not going to leave you behind!_" Netto all but roared at his navi. Rockman only gave him a small smile.

"I know you don't, Netto-kun, but we don't have a choice. If we stall any longer, then there is no way we can take out that source! Please, we have to do this!" he pleaded, not taking his eyes off the enemies.

Netto noticed that the clones were starting to look around for the two navis, and he then felt conflicted. Still, he needed to try to convince Rockman out of this crazy plan. "_Rockman, even I'm not foolhardy enough to engage six really powerful navis at once. Even if we decide to go through with this, you won't survive!_"

The blue navi smirked, which to Forte looked reminiscent of Netto himself. "Don't worry. I'll survive. I always do, after all.

"_Of all the cocky things to say at a time like this-!_"

"Netto," Forte said softly as he disengaged his busters. "As much as I don't want to admit it, Rockman's right. We have to trust that he'll survive, right?" he asked. Rockman chuckled and nodded.

The boy looked uneasy. "_...fine. Rockman...I'm counting on you. Don't die on me._" he said reluctantly.

"Right, Netto-kun..." came the answer. As if on cue, Rockman jumped out and fired multiple shots at the assorted navis, causing them to back up. "Forte, now!"

The cloaked navi made a break for it as soon as he saw Rockman shoot, and he sprinted towards the barrier. While he didn't exactly know how to destroy it, he decided to wing it. _Well, can't know unless I try, right?_ Forte thought as he charged up an Earth Breaker in his hand. With a shout, he released it right as he was a short distance from the barrier, lobbing it towards the flames. As the attack connected, Forte had to shield his eyes as a bright light emitted from the point of the attack. When the light died down, he found that the barrier was gone.

"That seemed too easy..." he breathed, but shook his head. "I can't dawdle here, though. Rockman is counting on us." Forte then started running up the long ramp, away from the fierce battle that was taking place below.

"_Rockman..._" Netto whispered. Forte frowned.

"Netto, he will be alright. We need to concentrate on eliminating that thing." he muttered. There was a long silence before the boy responded.

"_You're right. Besides, the faster we deal with it, the faster we can go help Rockman..._" Another silence. "_Let's go, Forte!_"

Forte nodded and continued to rush up the long ramp, wondering what exactly would be waiting for him at the top. After several long minutes, Forte finally reached the top, panting slightly as he looked around.

"_There's nothing here..._" Netto trailed off, but Forte shook his head.

"No, it's here. The energy is at its strongest up at this point." he replied as he readied his busters.

"**My, how perceptive. So you've come alone, little navi?**" the voice mocked, "**How brave of you! But your own foolishness will be your downfall.**"

"Tell me..." Forte started, staring at the space ahead. "What exactly are you? You may have told us what you were doing, but what the hell are you, anyway?"

The voice laughed again. If anything, it was more amused than before. "**Ah, so the one who forsakes the darkness wants to know what I am! Very well then. I am chaos incarnate, the very source that resides in the nexus between worlds. I had never dreamed that such fortune would come to me that day months ago, and here we are now! I really must thank that meddling goddess sometime.**"

"I could do without your stupid titles, thanks;" Forte snarled before something odd caught his attention. "Wait, a day that happened months ago...you can't mean...!"

Netto caught onto what Forte was getting at and gasp. "_No way! This thing isn't even a program!?_"

"**I've seen that you realized it,**" the voice remarked sardonically, "**But in that aspect, you are also wrong. Chaos exists everywhere. Not only in the human's world, but this mockery of it as well. I am the one who simply shapes it and uses it to my whims. I can meld into this world more easily because of the fact that it holds so much more chaos for me to absorb. It's simply wonderful!**"

"It's insane..." Forte muttered beneath his breath.

"_Chaos incarnate, huh? Why not just call it the Lord of Chaos and be done with it?_" Netto said snidely. "_It_ _said something about a meddling 'goddess', didn't it? Does that mean..._"

Forte snarled. "Sera."

"_The one who started off this whole mess in the first place. Figures we're still cleaning up her mess after what she did._" Netto growled angrily. The Lord of Chaos just laughed.

"**When she had opened up the gateway, however briefly, I took that chance to escape. I'm quite surprised a goddess would risk such punishment, but the gods have always been arrogant.**" Then it sighed. "**But it won't matter. Maybe once I deal with you two, I'll show those gods that their meddling has severe consequences.**"

Forte couldn't resist a gasp of shock as he felt the power start to form in front of him. "Netto-kun, it's beginning! Get ready!" he cried.

Netto could only nod as he got his battle chips ready. With a malevolent laugh, the Lord of Chaos took form in front of Forte, one with which Netto was very familiar with...

"_Nebula Grey!_" the brunette gasped. The familiar purple and orange flaming being was back in front of his eyes. "_He can copy other forms!?_"

Forte snorted. "Apparently. Tell me what you want to do, Netto-kun!" Netto nodded as the giant form of Nebula Grey roared, summoning several flames and sending them at the cloaked navi.

---

Rockman panted as he dodged Knightman's Royal Wrecking Ball, and then had to roll out of the way of a Tomahawk Swing. "Really fine mess you've gotten yourself into this time," he muttered to himself as he ran to avoid some Dice Bombs headed his way. "Taking on something like this is supposed to be Netto-kun's thing, not mine!"

He suddenly chuckled as he fired off some more buster shots to ward off Toadman and Colonel. "But I know both of them can do it. I have to trust in them..." Rockman then gasped when he heard a whoosh behind him and cursed.

"Shadowman!" The ninja said nothing as it struck at Rockman with a Shadow Blade, causing the blue navi to quickly backflip away, but not before the blade nicked his arm.

Rockman gave a small cry of pain at the blow, but was otherwise fine. Unfortunately, that also alerted the other clones in the area and they charged at him once again. He grimaced. "This isn't good at all..." he murmured as he tried to look for any advantage in the terrain. _I have to think of something quickly before I'm overwhelmed..._ Rockman then gave a slight yelp when he had to literally dive for cover as Colonel used his Colonel Cannon against him, causing a mighty explosion behind him.

_I can't last forever Netto-kun! You need to hurry and take that thing out!_

---

Netto winced when he heard Rockman's cry of pain, but couldn't take his eyes off the current battle. Forte was dodging all of the flames Nebula Grey was throwing at him, and had some close shaves with its hands. Even as he sent a battle chip to Forte, he couldn't help but glance at the screen on Rockman's PET, grinding his teeth in frustration.

"Why can't I do anything?" he growled out, his attention divided. Despite what he said to Forte, it was too hard to keep from worrying about the blue navi. "What am I going to do?"

"To have your attention divided in such a situation is not something you should be doing, Netto-kun." came a deep voice behind him. Startled, Netto looked back to see Regal behind him. "But at the same time, it's too hard to concentrate on one battle while you know your friend is in trouble in the other one."

"Dr. Regal..." he muttered, trying to see what he was getting at. "What should I do? I trust Rockman to survive, but those six navis...or clones, or whatever they are, they're way too powerful together!" he exclaimed.

The scientist sighed. "At this point, I only have one suggestion, but I don't know how you'll like it..." Closing his eyes and contemplating for a few seconds, he looked down at the boy. "Let me operate Rockman, if only for this battle. I will make sure he survives."

Netto looked at him, his eye wide and looking like they were going to fall out. "Y-you!?" he sputtered, "But...but...!" He couldn't seem to come up with an objection, yet...

"Netto, please trust him!" Yuuichirou yelled from the back of the lab. He was working furiously at the computers, "I know you have some hesitations, but like both Regal and Rockman have said, you have to concentrate on Forte's battle!"

Netto bit his lip again before he hesitantly nodded and handed Rockman's PET over to Regal. The scientist gave the boy a small smile before pulling out a small deck of battlechips.

"Leave Rockman to me, Netto-kun. He won't fall as long as someone is operating him." Regal said. Netto nodded again and turned back to the battle with Nebula Grey.

Regal looked down at the blue navi. "Rockman, can you hear me?"

Rockman seemed to tense up as he heard the voice. "_Dr. Regal? Why are you..._"

"We don't have any time to discuss the specifics. Right now, Netto has agreed to let me operate you for this fight, because you won't last long at your current state." he interjected quickly before the blue navi said anything.

Rockman sighed as he realized that Dr. Regal was right. "_Alright,I'll follow your orders. Let's go!_"

Regal nodded. "I might not be the battler that Netto is, but I think I'm sufficient enough to deal with these shells!" he said as slotted in a chip. "Senshahou, Slot-in!"

---

Forte frowned. Any attack that he tried kept getting repelled, and the giant flame entity wasn't even giving him a chance to get off some of his more powerful attacks. Right now, he was waiting for assistance from Netto, but the boy seemed preoccupied with something.

Of course, Forte couldn't blame him. Having your attention divided across two fronts is the worst possible situation one could find themselves in. The fact that it was happening right now with both of the navis was probably even worse. But nevertheless, he would be in a fix soon if Netto didn't intervene soon.

"_Forte, you alright?_" Forte did not think he would have been any more relieved to see his operator now.

"I am. But this thing won't go down..." he growled. Netto narrowed his eyes.

"_The last time we dealt with this thing, the only way we could even hurt it was its core..._" he muttered as he slotted in a Wide Shot for the cloaked navi.

Forte looked around. "The core...?" he muttered as he looked at the beast again. That was when he saw it. A glowing blue flame that was very different from the others, hovering away from the battle.

Wasting no time, Forte immediately leapt up and fired off the Wide Shot, striking the core and dispersing any flames that were heading toward him. Acting quickly, he formed an Earth Breaker in his hand and headed towards the core again.

"Have to make this one count..." he murmured to himself as he raised his arm. "Earth Breaker!" Releasing the energy from his hand, he brought it down on the floating core, a large explosion echoing throughout the area. However, Forte was not content as he immediately raised his busters and shot at where he thought the core was repeatedly.

His efforts were rewarded as he heard Nebula Grey roar in pain and slump down. "That's right, stay down!"

Netto, on the other hand, didn't look happy. "_...it's not over, that was too easy..._" he muttered.

A loud laugh boomed out where Nebula Grey was, as the large entity vanished as if it wasn't there. "**Ah, amusing as always! I suppose that form was far too weak...**" it trailed off as Forte felt the chaos energy gather in one place again.

"...so, I suppose I should take another one." came another voice, sounding dark and malevolent, but at the same time...familiar.

Familiar enough that Netto and Forte looked at it, shocked.

"Rockman...?" Forte whispered, staring at the smirking figure in front of him.

Netto blinked and shook his head. "_No...Dark Rockman. I can't believe it..._"

"So, how does it feel to see an old friend?" Dark Rockman purred menacingly, his eyes glittering dangerously.

Forte felt that his fight just became a whole lot more complicated.

---

**Next Chapter:** _Mighty Blow_: With a surprising turn of events, Regal is left to operate Rockman while Forte and Netto face off against the blue navi's dark counterpart. But even with everything the heroes throw at it, the Lord of Chaos does not fall so easily...especially when unwanted memories decide to assault Netto at the worst time.

---

**Author's Note:**

Wow, has it really been close to four months? Unbelieveable.

There are all sorts of excuses as to why this chapter was so horribly late. Work, school, laziness, writer's block...you name it. I finally got off my ass to get this one out, and it wasn't easy.

I'm _hoping_ that it doesn't take as long with the next two or three, because I really want to finish this story.

Anyway, until next time, keep watch.


	14. Mighty Blow

"_This can't be happening..._" Netto breathed uneasily as he took in the sight before him. Even in his wildest dreams, he would never have imagined nor expected to see Dark Rockman ever again. "_This isn't real. You can't be the real Dark Rockman._"

"Oh, is that so, Netto-kun?" the dark navi purred, eyes glinting maliciously. "I'm as real as you can see. There's no room for doubt here."

Forte narrowed his eyes. "Don't call him that," he snarled, taking a step forward. "You have no right to!"

Dark Rockman let off a laugh. "And what are you going to do about it, o fallen one?"

The cloaked navi promptly fired off a buster shot, which Dark Rockman easily dodged. "I didn't think you were that sensitive..this will be more fun than I thought!" he grinned insanely, bringing up his own buster.

"Netto-kun, are you alright with this?" Forte asked lowly as he dodged a barrage of buster shots from the dark navi. "Are you just going to let him stand there and mock us?"

There was a bit of silence before the boy answered. "_Don't worry, I know that he isn't the real one. The real Dark Rockman is long gone..._" Forte heard Netto take a deep breath, supposedly in hesitation. "_That's only a fake! Forte...no mercy."_ he uttered.

If Forte was bothered by Netto's answer, he didn't show it. However, he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as he brought his busters up again. "As you wish!"

Dark Rockman grinned again.

---

Rockman panted as he dodged a Royal Wrecking Ball, and immediately had to dive for cover as a Number Die was tossed at him. "What have I gotten myself into...?" he asked himself, readying his weapon. "Last time I think I can take on six navis all by myself."

"_Rockman, to your left!_" Regal barked. The blue navi gave a quick leap backwards, barely avoiding a Screen Divide. "_That was too close._" he heard the scientist mutter.

"This isn't working!" Rockman grit his teeth as he tried to think of a way to fight against the dark navis. He frowned as no good ideas came to mind. "Dammit..." he said under his breath, keeping his distance from the navis. For some reason, they were all just standing there, waiting for him to move again.

"_At this point, you only have two options;_" Regal muttered. "_You can either take them out one by one, or try to take them all out at once. Which one do you think will work?_"

Rockman lightly snorted, the answer obvious. "The first one, clearly. The problem is trying to hit them without being surrounded in the process." He glanced at the dark navis again, who were readying whatever weapons they had.

The blue navi could almost feel Regal nod. "_Indeed. That's why we have to divide and conquer._"

_That does make sense..._ Rockman thought as he ran through whatever options he had left. _But..._ "That just brings us back to square one. How am I supposed to do that without being able to out speed them?"

"_You are right about one thing. You can't outrun them when they're grouped together. That's why I have a plan._" Regal said smugly, swirling a battle chip within his hand.

Rockman blinked. "Alright, tell me the plan then."

---

"Hold still!" Forte growled out as Dark Rockman avoided his shots with ease, dancing between each volley unharmed. Snarling, the cloaked navi pulled back a little, raising his arms to block a vicious punch from the clone.

"Is this the best you can do!?" Dark Rockman laughed as he started to kick at Forte's defenses rapidly. "I expected a lot more!" One kick slipped past Forte's guard, and the cloaked navi grunted as he flew back onto the floor.

Growling, Forte stood up and rolled out of the way of a heavy punch, which cracked the ground upon impact. The kick didn't hurt at all, Forte noted, but something was very off about his opponent. Not only was he faster and stronger than Forte, or Netto, remembered him, but there was something about the way he was attacking...

_That's it;_ Forte suddenly thought, staring at his chuckling opponent. _Dark Rockman might have been powerful, but he was still Rockman. He would definitely have the same fighting style. This isn't him at all, so...of course!_ His eyes suddenly widening, he grinned maliciously as he thought up his next plan of attack.

Netto's smile was grim. "_I see we have the same idea, Forte._" he said, wincing a bit as he clutched his head. Apparently, both he and his navi realized the exact same thing.

The copy in front of them wasn't Rockman, or even the Dark Rockman that they knew. The Lord of Chaos seemed to be able to mimic the blue navi's counterpart...but it missed something very important when assuming that form.

Netto then shook his head to try and clear it, but there was a weird static noise that kept pestering him. Granted, it was low enough not to cause a headache, but it was very annoying, nonetheless. "_Alright Forte, you know how to-_"

That was when the static in his head drowned out everything else.

"..._be gone...!"_

"_Isn't it obvious...? I'm going to kill you!"_

"_Such pathetic creatures..."_

"_Die...!"_

"_I will...I will have my revenge...!_"

"_...perish!"_

"_Arrrrrrgh!_" Netto roared suddenly over the communication, resisting the urge to slam his head into the wall. His head was pounding...!

"Netto-kun!?" Forte exclaimed in surprised, temporarily looking away to look at the screen beside him. What just happened!?

A harsh laugh met his ears once he did, and growled once again. He just screwed up.

"You fool! Don't take your eyes off your opponent!" Dark Rockman taunted, having formed a large cannon with his two hands. Before Forte could do anything, he fired.

---

Rockman grunted as he got hit with a potshot from one of the navi's busters, but shrugged it off. Ducking back behind a piece of debris, he gently nursed his aching arm while running over the plan again in his head.

_I just have to get them to group together before I use 'that' chip...and then use the time they are confused to try and delete one of them._ Rockman thought, repeating the exact words that Regal had said to him only moments before.

Grimacing, he allowed himself a peek of what was waiting for him, and it wasn't good. They were spread out; close enough to make an attempt, but far enough apart that it would prove difficult. To get them together, he would need to reveal himself within the next minute, or else it would be futile to even try the plan.

Satisfied that his arm didn't hurt as much as it was, Rockman took a deep breath. "_Rockman, hurry! Delaying it any further will only make you lose in the long run!_" Regal said gruffly, preparing the chips needed for the assault.

Nodding, Rockman leaped over the debris and fired off a few shots to get them to go in the direction he wanted. He allowed himself a small smile as he saw that it worked; he was managing to corral them into a single group.

That was when he noticed that Colonel was beginning to move. _I have to do this now...!_

"Dr. Regal, now!" he shouted, placing a palm on the ground while mentally activating a program he had installed.

"_Right!_" he exclaimed. "_Deathmatch 3, slot-in!_"

Immediately, the ground started changing from where Rockman laid his hand down, morphing from an ordinary platform into a murky, purple swamp. Before the dark navis could do anything, they were ensnared by their feet.

_Got them!_ Rockman thought in triumph, thankful that Netto installed a Hover Shoe program in his customizer hours beforehand. He had to be quick, though. They would soon free themselves from the swamp, and-

"_Behind you!_"

A sudden noise behind him startled him, and it took both Regal shouting at him to roll out of the way and his own long-term memory before he realized what was going on. As it was, he barely avoided the sword that now stuck in the ground where he was.

He had forgotten that Shadowman also had Hover Shoes. Growling, Rockman brought up his buster. Time was running short, and he couldn't afford to let the dark ninja prevent him from his attack.

---

"And you were supposed to be the ultimate navi..." Dark Rockman said wryly, grinning as the smoke started to fade away. "How weak...what!?" he growled in surprise as he didn't see a deleted navi, but a fallen cloak.

"Got you." came a deep voice from behind the dark navi. Dark Rockman had no time to react as an Earth Breaker slammed into him, sending him flying to the other edge of the platform. When he looked back up, Forte stood there, a bit beaten up but otherwise in one piece.

Dark Rockman grit his teeth. "So, you survived it after all." he muttered, displeased with the situation.

"Of course, I always do." Forte said cockily, smirking down at the kneeling form of the dark navi. His assumption had been correct; while the Lord of Chaos knew Dark Rockman's attacks and personality, it couldn't mimic the dark navi's style or tactics.

From what Forte could remember from Netto's memories, Dark Rockman loved to savor the helplessness of his opponents and took great pleasure in wearing them down.

This..._fake_ was trying to kill him as quickly as possible, which went against the Dark Rockman that was in Netto's memories.

"Like it means anything," Dark Rockman snarled, his cool demeanor vanishing as if it never existed. "You will not survive long to gloat about this!" he roared as he brought his buster up and formed a Super Vulcan.

Forte was once again put on the defensive when multiple shots came his way. Netto frowned as he observed, finally able to shove the influx of voices and memories in his head aside. "_He can use other battle chips now too...how?_"

"Netto-kun, are you finally alright?" Forte called out, evading another shot before he heard Dark Rockman snarl in irritation. He had run out of bullets.

"_For now, yes..._" came the reply. Forte immediately understood; this was going to happen again, and soon. He had to get rid of Dark Rockman as fast as he could. "_I'm sending you a few chips, be ready!_"

"Got it." he muttered before activating the first one, a Neo-Variable Sword. Forte looked at his enemy coolly, watching as he formed yet another giant gun with his hands.

Dark Rockman grinned again. "_Dark Wide Shot!_" he bellowed, sending out waves of dark energy heading at Forte.

Concentrating, Forte swung his sword multiple times, creating his own waves of energy that flew towards Dark Rockman. It had just the effect he wanted as they collided with the Dark Wide Shot and canceled each other out.

The dark navi was not so pleased. Forte could tell that he was losing his patience, but why? Why did he need to kill him so quickly? The cloaked navi had no more time to observe as Dark Rockman suddenly straightened up and laughed.

"This has gone on long enough..." he chuckled, his red eyes gleaming with insanity. "It's time to make sure you perish!"

"_Forte, watch out!_" Netto cried as he watched Dark Rockman form a Dark Sword and immediately charge towards his friend at extraordinary speeds.

The navi grunted as he narrowly dodged an overhead swipe, but was surprised when Dark Rockman swung again, nicking his arm. Grunting in surprise, Forte kicked the dark copy backwards before charging forward, continuing his own assault. He couldn't let Dark Rockman gain any more momentum.

Netto could only watch only as the two navis clashed, trying to keep the voices in his head from overwhelming him. As it was, it felt like his head was going to explode any minute. Grimacing, he prepared another battle chip, focusing on helping Forte out before he sorted out his own problems in his own head.

He just hoped he could hold out long enough.

---

Rockman grunted, fending off another thrust from Shadowman's sword and rolling to the side. He was running out of time...if the other dark navis managed to get out...

"_Barrier, slot-in!_" Regal suddenly shouted, as Rockman blinked in surprise as a green barrier went up around him. He only realized what happened as he saw some of Shadowman's shuriken bounce off the protective shield. "_Rockman, you have to concentrate! You're letting everything get to you, and you're not going to get out of here alive if you can't focus!_" the scientist chided, grabbing another battle chip as he did so.

The blue navi took a deep breath and nodded. Regal was right, he was still trying to push things to his advantage, but kept getting distracted whenever things didn't go his way. "Yeah, you're right. Just tell me when you're about to send it." he said, charging up his buster. He could already see that the navis were almost out of the swamp, and it would be ineffective as soon as they got themselves unstuck.

"_Alright, but you must do something about that ninja._" came the reply, and Rockman found himself nodding. Concentrating, he stood still as he relaxed his body, waiting for that single moment when Shadowman would appear. If there was anything he learned from fighting alongside the ninja navi, it was to follow his instincts when they screamed at him.

At that moment, they were roaring at him.

_There!_

Quickly turning around, Rockman let off a charged shot, catching the ninja totally by surprise. The dark Shadowman went tumbling to the ground, unmoving. Resisting the urge to watch and see if he got back up, Rockman immediately turned back to the swamp. _They're almost out...!_ "Dr. Regal!"

Regal nodded at the confirmation. "_Earthquake 3, slot-in!_" Rockman felt the heavy weight appear in his hand, but he didn't dwell on it. Right now...right now, it was when it counted. With a great cry, he threw it as hard as he could towards the group of dark navis. They saw it coming, but only a few were able to avoid it.

Numberman wasn't one of them.

As he watched the golden weight fall onto them, he watched with trepidation. As the dust cleared, his eyes widened as he watched the dark Numberman's data explode, signifying his deletion. Knightman managed to survive, but looked worse for wear.

_Yes!_ he howled with triumph in his mind, glad to see that things were starting to go his way. With at least one navi out of the picture, it would get a bit easier. His face turned into a frown, however, as he watched the swamp disappear. _One is down, but five more to go..._ he said to himself as he started to evade rapid buster shots and another Royal Wrecking Ball. _In a one against many situation, always take out the support first... _the blue navi recited to himself. He immediately looked at Toadman. _Well, there's my next target._

"_Great job Rockman, but don't celebrate yet. You still have too many more to go through._" Regal lightly rebuked, noticing the field going back to normal. "_I suppose you know who to go for next?_"

"I do. Send me any Elec elemental chips when you can!" he said as he shot back at the dark navis. It was still going to be a long fight ahead.

---

The fake Dark Rockman, Forte observed, had gone berserk. What the dark navi was doing was nothing short of a kamikaze attack. No matter how many times Forte shot at him with his busters, Dark Rockman would keep charging in, hoping to get a swipe in. Some of them actually connected, and Forte had to admit, they had stung.

"_You alright, Forte?_" came Netto's voice, sending him various chips to try and ward off the dark copy's attacks. So far, they were not working as well as they had hoped.

Forte grimaced. "Yeah, for now at least. Keeping this up any longer isn't going to end well for us, however." he muttered. Netto grimly nodded. Even if Forte was incredibly strong, he could only hold out for so long.

"_Just...buy me a few minutes, please...I'm trying to think of something to work, but..._" He left the last word unspoken. Forte knew what he meant; Netto was trying to divide his attention between him and drowning out the memories in his head.

Nevertheless, Netto would have to overcome that, and soon. They were in a battle, and the longer he delayed, the worse it got for them. "Alright, but please hurry, Netto-kun." he said softly, watching as Dark Rockman started to charge in again.

"_Don't worry, we'll get through this. I just need the right chip..._" Forte didn't hear any more of Netto's muttering as the clash of two swords rang throughout the silent area. Dark Rockman was grinning again; but this time, it was an insane, evil grin that told him what the dark clone was up to. He was totally focused on trying to kill him as fast as possible.

"You can't dodge forever!" Dark Rockman cackled as he thrust the sword at Forte again, who evaded it. "Your stamina will eventually give out!"

Forte frowned as he said that. _I know that! But why doesn't Dark Rockman seem worried about his own?_ he thought in worry, noticing that the dark copy didn't even looked winded at all. Was this another of the Lord of Chaos' abilities?

_Whoops!_ Forte grunted as he was nicked yet again on his side by the Dark Sword. It stung, but he immediately pushed that to the side and countered the swipe by landing a direct hit to Dark Rockman's arm with his own sword. He smirked as Dark Rockman roared in pain and backed off a bit to check his wound. Forte didn't let up, however, as he immediately pushed his advantage and sent rapid strikes at the dark copy.

He saw that Dark Rockman was hard pressed to fend off his strikes; perhaps he had done more damage to his arm than he thought? Testing it, he feinted a strike, and smirked when Dark Rockman brought up his sword to defend. The dark copy was shocked when Forte didn't strike there, and on reflex, brought the sword where it was really going to strike.

Unfortunately, his reflexes were too slow from the strike Forte hit him with earlier.

Forte grinned when he saw Dark Rockman scream in pain as his left arm hung uselessly at the side. Great, with one arm out, he could...

"You scum!" Dark Rockman roared in anger, "I'm going to rip you apart!" he screamed as he brought up his working arm and formed another blade, charging at Forte in blind anger.

"Netto-kun, I hope you have that chip!" Forte yelled out, bringing up his own sword to defend in preparation.

"_I do!_" Netto exclaimed finally. "_I'm sending it to you right now. This is it!_"

Forte felt the chip come to him, and his eyes widened slightly as he realized what it was. "Okay, just have to time it right..." he muttered as Dark Rockman sped towards him.

The brunette watched as Dark Rockman approached Forte, each of his footstep seeming like a countdown to what was going to happen. "_Almost...two..._"

"One..." Forte breathed, instinctively activating the chip he had with him.

_Now!_ both of them thought in unison as Forte unleashed the power of the chip, just as Dark Rockman was upon him and ready to attack.

"Iai Form!" Forte roared, swinging his blade one last time at a speed no one could see. It knocked Dark Rockman's sword aside, and left a deep cut on his body.

Dark Rockman roared in pain once again, staggering backwards. Holding his wound, he stared blearily at Forte, trying to find the willpower to move his body, but couldn't. "Urgh...no...!" he cried, unable to even lift his sword.

"_He's finished._" Netto stated, breathing heavily. Something odd had happened when Forte unleashed his attack...had he actually felt himself doing it? _No, that couldn't be... _Shaking his head, Netto glared at the dark copy. "_Finish him off before he does anything else!_"

Forte nodded, a bit perturbed at Netto's attitude. Before he could even take a step, however, Dark Rockman let off another horrifying laugh, his eyes filled with madness.

"You think you have **beaten me!?**" he bellowed, his voice changing from the insane one of Dark Rockman to the loud, booming voice of the chaos. "**We're just getting started!**"

Netto nodded slowly. "_I knew it. I knew that wasn't even Dark Rockman, or even a perfect clone of him...it was just the Lord of Chaos trying to throw us off guard._"

"Too bad it didn't work." Forte scoffed, staring intently at the barely standing figure.

"**You've amused me so much...I would have never thought you could even beat a form I assumed, let alone two!**" it cackled, standing up straight. Forte took a step back in shock; wasn't he supposed to be critically wounded? "**I see you've noticed. I cannot be killed! Not even a wound as deep as you inflicted would be able to destroy me!**"

Forte chuckled. "Immortal? Nothing is immortal in this world. Not even Serenade, for all of its power, is immortal."

The voice boomed with laughter again. "**Have you already forgotten that I do not come from this world? I am a being far beyond your puny comprehension! Nothing you do will harm a millenia old being such as I!**"

"_It sure is full of himself..._" Netto remarked dryly. "_But if what it says is true...how are we going to handle this?_"

"Don't worry, we'll get to that as it comes." Forte growled. This thing couldn't be immortal, could it? It just couldn't be...!

"**And now, my friends, I think this has truly gone on too long. Prepare, as I show you my true power!**" it cackled as chaotic energy began cackling again and covering Dark Rockman's form. Forte had to avert his eyes from the energy, not to mention struggle to stay standing.

"This power...! It's so oppressive..." he growled out as it felt like he was being smashed from the pressure.

"_Hang in there!_" Netto cried as he immediately sent a Barrier to Forte. The black navi sighed in relief as the pressure lightened, but it didn't totally disappear.

"**Ha ha ha...**" came the laugh as both navi and operator looked at the swirling mass of energy. "**Be honored that I have to use this form to kill you. I will take great delight in erasing you from existence.**" As the energy cleared, both of their eyes widened in shock.

"_No...no! Is this even possible!?_" Netto cried in shock, slamming his hands on the table.

Forte took another step back, eyes wide. "This...this can't be! How!?" he stuttered, not believing the sight before him.

"**Nothing is impossible for a being like me...including this. Your surprise is absolutely wonderful to behold!**" it laughed as it's red eyes gleamed. Netto gulped before trying to calm himself.

"_Forte...can you really fight that...thing?_" he asked shakily. Forte nodded, although Netto noticed he wasn't as enthused either.

"...yeah." he said bluntly. Turning back to the Lord of Chaos, he grit his teeth. "You're going down for even daring to assume that form!"

The Lord of Chaos merely grinned and raised a hand, already gathering energy for its attack.

---

Rockman was breathing hard. He managed to cut down the numbers into something more manageable but...

Taking out Toadman was harder than it seemed. He was surprisingly agile and a misstep would paralyze Rockman, which meant he had to be extremely careful in dealing with him. To his luck, however, the dark Toadman was too busy trying to attack him with Dark Wide Shots to even think about supporting, allowing him to get in and deliver a Custom Bolt 3 right to his face. Inside, he felt a twinge of sympathy as he saw Toadman being deleted, but reminded himself that these were only mere copies, not the real thing.

Knightman was easier, if anything. True, his Royal Wrecking Ball made it a challenge to get close, and his Stone Body would make anything Rockman threw at him neigh useless. However, he had sustained heavy damage from the Earthquake 3 he had thrown earlier, and was moving even more sluggish than usual. It just took some dodging and some feints before he got close and deleted him with a Drill Arm.

That was the easy part. Now, however, Rockman found himself being forced back by a double team of Shadowman and Tomahawkman. The two dark navis worked surprisingly well together, which only meant that Rockman knew he was in trouble.

"_Rockman, try to create an opening so you can get some breathing room!_" Regal ordered, searching through his chip folder for the right one.

The blue navi grimaced. "Even if I did, Colonel would be on me in a second once I got enough room!" he retorted. He had wondered why Colonel was just hanging back, a question that had been answered once he got enough space between him and the dark navis. Rockman had been forced back into the fray when the dark Colonel had shot a Screen Divide at him, making him leap right into Shadowman and Tomahawkman. That hadn't gone over so well, and he came out worse for it.

Regal grunted in acknowledgment. "_Urgh...there still has to be something you can do!_" he said. Rockman was already feeling the effects of the battle, his body starting to get exhausted, but he still had to go on.

Ducking a tomahawk that was thrown by Tomahawkman, Rockman racked his brain for any sort of strategy. If he could just delete one more of then...but who? Blinking, the blue navi glanced over the dark Tomahawkman. Dingo had always said that he hated fire...

_That's it!_ Rockman thought. Tomahawkman had an aversion to any sort of fire, from what he remembered. If he could land one good hit on him, then his life would be a little bit easier. Dodging a combined Muramasa Blade and Tomahawk Swing, Rockman started to fire back. "Dr. Regal, I need a powerful Fire chip, and quickly!"

"_You have a plan?_" he asked, but readying a chip nonetheless.

Rockman nodded. "I do. It's risky, but it has to be done." He gulped when he saw Shadowman back off and Tomahawkman leap into the air. Something bad was coming his way. "Hurry!"

Regal slotted two chips in just as the dark Tomahawkman came in with a Tomahawk Rolling. Rockman knew he had to stop him here, or else the damage that would be done would be disastrous. When he felt the two chips come to him, he smiled. _Perfect. These two were exactly what I needed!_

As the rolling body of energy got closer, he activated the first chip. "Heat Body!" he cried as a blaze of fire ignited around him. Tomahawkman slammed right into it, his attack struggling against the searing flames. The flames eventually won out, and Tomahawkman dropped to the ground, burned all over.

That was exactly the opportunity that Rockman needed. He activated the second chip, rearing his fist back as it erupted in flames. "Fire Punch 3!" he cried as he slammed his fist into the dark Tomahawkman's face. He grimaced as he felt the data collapse under his fist, the sign of a navi being deleted. _I'm sorry..._

"_Excellent job!_" Regal congratulated, marveling at the way Rockman handled himself in a tight situation. "_You still have two more to go, however...are you feeling alright?_"

Rockman was feeling far from alright; his body was nearing the point of exhaustion. However, giving in would be his deletion. "I'm...fine. Just keep supporting me, doctor." he breathed out. He saw Regal nod, and then readied himself against Shadowman. The ninja was quite possibly the biggest annoyance, and would have to be taken out before he could finally move onto Colonel.

He was almost done. Just two more to go...

That was when he felt a sudden chill shoot up his spine. _This feeling..._ he mentally gasped. _Netto-kun, Forte! What's going on!?_

---

Bolts of energy were raining down, and Forte was frantically trying to dodge them. It didn't help that he was still in disbelief about what he was facing. Netto was yelling at him to concentrate, but he just couldn't for some reason.

"**Against a foe like me, I guess it would be common to feel something like fear, no?**" it asked, raising its hands again as it charged up. Forte snarled, but could do no more as he was forced to dodge yet again.

"_Forte, you have to attack!_" Netto cried as he tried looking over his battle chips. He hadn't prepared for something like this!

"I know, I know!" Forte retorted as he brought his busters up and tried shooting at the Lord of Chaos. He grit his teeth when he found that he missed. "It's not working...!"

The figure laughed. "**It's useless. There is no way you can hit me with such pathetic attacks.**" it sneered. "**Let me show you power!**" Holding up one arm, Forte saw a black energy form within his palm before making a motion to throw it at him. "**Hell's Rolling!**"

Forte's eyes widened as several disks of dark energy just flew out of the figure's palms and rolled right at him. Growling, he jumped around to try and avoid them, but was surprised when they changed directions right at him. "Netto-kun!"

Luckily, his partner was there to answer the call. "_Dream Aura, slot-in!_" he hastily said as he sent the data to Forte, who immediately cloaked himself in the protective aura. The dark wheels collided with the aura and vanished, the aura managing to repel them. Forte let off a small sigh of relief before turning back to the smirking figure.

"How...that shouldn't even be possible!" Forte said, glaring at the floating figure in front of him. That attack...not even he could do it!

The figure smirked evilly. "**How many times must I tell you? I can do stuff that not even a puny creature like you could do...but if you're wondering why I can do it, I can answer that easily.**" it said as it walked closer. Forte growled as he came clearer into view, trying to think of a plan.

"**After all...I'm who you could have been.**" the figure said as it grinned madly, red eyes gleaming.

Netto was extremely worried. "_Forte...what do we do now?_" he asked desperately.

The black navi couldn't take his eyes off of the figure. "...I have no idea, Netto-kun." he muttered helplessly. What _could_ he do?

After all, he never had fought against a mirror image of himself.

---

**Next Chapter:** _Battle with_ _Myself_:

"_Forte...we can't...lose here...!_"

"_No...I'm not going to lose him...!_"

"_There has to be something I can do! Anything!_"

"_...just believe, Forte."_

_---_

**Author's Notes:**

So...I should probably stop saying when the next chapter will be out, because I can't force myself to get it out by then. Sigh.

Unfortunately, the only excuse I can make at this time is that my life has been horrendously busy yet again. There have been so many things that I had, and still have to, take care of, that writing took a backseat priority yet again.

Not only that, when I did want to write, I got a nice little case of writer's block. Wonderful.

In any case...three more chapters, one of which being the epilogue. Just that much more before this thing is done once and for all.

And yes, I do suck at fight scenes, thanks for asking.


End file.
